sure signs of spring

i know spring is coming. it always does. i've said before on this blog, and repeatedly in multiple other settings ad nauseum that i hate spring. i hate the wet, muddy, gross, dirtiness of this transitional season. i've also been known to love love looooove winter. however. i need this cold snow business to stop now, and the warm sun to shine. i need open windows, kids at the park, and sun on my skin.

i keep looking for the signs of spring, and they are all around.

puddles to splash in (ignore the 3 foot snow banks),

a rare ray of afternoon sun, new umbrellas, and rainboots brought out of storage,

budding green plants pushing up through the soggy ground,

 a st. patrick's day parade, including ramona's "best friend" maynard the mallard,

and surest sign of spring in my house: david's beard has been shaved down to a mustache. even james has to look away. 

i'm choosing to ignore the persistent signs of winter. yesterday's four inches of snow, and today's 12 degree temperatures? ignored.