Spring Fever (and other musings about my kids)

We enjoyed the most beautiful weather this week! It was such a wonderful taste of spring. But of course, it was just a tease, today we're back to the rain and wind and I'm blogging about it now to remind myself that it wasn't just a dream. We had such a great time playing at the park and in the backyard for three days in a row. Joseph put his Christmas scooter to useand Justin found out he can make the big wheel go with his feet like a big boy now.
The kids were just as rejuvenated by the weather as I was. They were giddy with excitement at the park and because it's been months since they've been there, they were pleased to find that they could do more than the last time they were there. Joseph was brave enough to go down the fire pole all by himself for the first time and he couldn't get enough of it.Justin was just one of the kids, navigating the stairs and the slides like a pro and on a high from his newfound independence. He thought it was great that he could look down on me from up on the play structure. Where did my baby go?!I've never been so happy to see grass stains on Joseph's jeans and pick up pieces of wood chips off my rug! But my boys are also finding fun stuff to do inside. Here are their new favorite things to do. Joseph is getting ready for scouts by experimenting with knot tying. He uses his jumprope to tie up people, toys, furniture, etc. I'm glad he's moved on to furniture because a couple of weeks ago, I was getting tied up multiple times a day. Justin will line up his cars with intense focus for the longest time, just changing their configurations.Tonight we had the best time together playing with Legos. That sounds silly, I know. But the legos get pushed far under the bed and only get found every couple of months, so it's like they're new everytime they come out. We were sitting in Joseph's room after dinner and I was wondering how we were going to pass the hour before bedtime when I got them out. The three of us built tower after tower and they went to bed late because we were giggling and just enjoying each other so much. I would build the base, and then Justin would build the tower straight up while Joseph filled in around the tower and provided the imagination. We built a control tower for space ships, a temple, Daddy's building, and when we ran out of legos, we'd knock it down and start over. The boys were so cute working together and actually conversing. It's so fun to see them start to be able to communicate! Joseph would praise Justin or laugh at the excited noises he kept making. And Justin kept laughing and saying, "funny shuh shuh" (the adorable way he says "Joseph"). It was just one of those times when it feels so good to be a mom. I thought I should record it so I can go back and read it when I'm having one of the times it doesn't feel good to be a mom.