Mother Nature Smiled Upon Us

The Home Stretch!

Yes, she did! Saturday, April 12th was the nicest day of the year by far -truly a gift. I believe the temperature actually crested the 70° mark! Celebrating kids' day, the YMCA sponsored a 5K fun run to start the Grand Floral Parade festivities which I got the bright idea would be FUN to do. I've jogged in races for years but
never pushing an extra 40 pounds of baby and jogger. Wow, what a difference it made in my all ready slow but steady pace :)

I was a little nervous about maneuvering the 3 wheeled contraption through the sea of bobbing bodies making their way through the course, but Devi was calm as a cucumber taking everything in stride. Strapped in and ready, apple wedge in hand, the high pitched horn sounded the start. We managed to roll our way through the pack of runners and found a comfortable open space somewhere between mile one and two. Devi, my cheerleader and support team, dosed off and ended up missing most of the race and the big finish down the parade route! She received a number of "Ahs!" and "Oh, how cutes" from the by standers as I sweated us across the finish line. Coming in 3rd for the women/jogger category and a staggering 9th overall in the stroller division, we both felt it was a job well performed. Devi was pleased with the participants medal she received for her first organized event.

With that nearly unrecognizable orb shining down upon us, we enjoyed the day to it's fullest. Devi played in the make shift kid's gym set up at the end of the race course as we awaited the beginning of the parade.

Meanwhile I popped into a very crowded Starbucks for a drink. Awaiting my turn to be helped, I noticed this nice looking woman a couple of people ahead in line, staring back at me. Recognizing my picture from this blog, she approached me. It turns out we have a mutual friend who had shared this site with her. She knew all about our adoption journey. Wow! we are reaching people...the power of the internet is sometimes staggering isn't it?

All that hard work gives a girl an appetite

Joining Devi and daddy curbside with cups of joe in hand, the first of the floats sauntered by. Barely able to contain her enthusiasm for the marching bands, Devi bounced and bopped to the drum beats, clapped her hands and waved her cute little hellos to the various honorees of the parade. We watched for a while, but left just in time to stop by our house, empty the contents of the fridge into a back pack and walk the few

My future's so bright, I gotta wear shades!

blocks to our local park for lunch. Our first family picnic! What a mess a toddler can make when given free rein to a container of half eaten hummus! She enjoyed scooping the dip with her little finger tips, right from the dish and into her open mouth - no cracker required! Being tossed in the air by daddy and feeding our lunch leftovers to the ducks rounded out the afternoon, leaving us all exhausted and ready for nap time.

My first picnic

Sun still blazing, promising a beautiful sunset, we dashed out for Devi to experience another first...a frisco freeze burger for dinner. This drive-in burger spot has not changed a bit since the 50's when it opened. I'm sure the layer of grease that coats the closet sized building hasn't changed either, but somehow I'm convinced this is what makes these burgers, still wrapped in old-fashioned waxpaper bags, their mouthwatering flavor. We ate our dinner in the back of our van with back hatch open to catch the last rays of the sun's warmth. Devi gobbled a whole burger herself, a few fries and sips from my own personal

Higher daddy, higher!!!!

favorite, malted root beer milk shake! Perfect!! What a treat to experience this meal, this way, this early in the year! Covered in the remnants of the day - apple, hummus, burger and sticky shake, Devi nearly fell asleep in the bath tub, marking the end of an enjoyable day spent experiencing Mother Nature's gift.
NOTE! Before I could post this, we are back to record setting hail and snow....completely uncharacteristic for our area.

The power of an Elmo DVD!

Puzzles...my new favorite thing