Spring forward

Oh how I love unseasonably warm days! Three of the last four days have been like that, and the foreseeable future promises more of the same.

It should be noted, these pictures were taken Sunday, and much of the snow you see in the pictures has since melted. It was such a gorgeous day I decided to risk letting Gus run loose. And what do you know, he didn't run. Though by the second, third, fourth and fifth time he stole AJ's puck, my son was wishing his four-legged opponent would run away.

Before we move on, I must call attention to AJ's fashion choices. Oversized hockey jacket over baseball pants that are two sizes too short, with boots to cover his ankles so he doesn't get cold. Good call! He must get his style sense from his father.

On the opposite - though not necessarily smarter - end of the fashion spectrum, sits Sydney on the cold, hard concrete, still wearing her dress and tights from Sunday School. I couldn't convince her to put on pants. She was far too excited after discovering that the formerly light, fluffy and non-sticky snow, was now perfectly wet and moldable.

And so she got busy, arming herself for a surprise attack against Daddy.

By the time Jeff came outside to help me take down Christmas lights. (Yes, we finally took them down!) Sydney was ready for him.

Gus, by this point, decided it was more fun to chase sticks than balls. Hockey sticks, that is.

And so, AJ did what any big brother would do. He decided to be as annoying to his sister as the dog was being to him.

"AJ!" Sydney screamed in protest when AJ started practicing his slap shot on her snowball collection. "Those are for Daddy!"

Ah, spring. Even the kids' fighting is more tolerable when its 55 degrees. If this keeps up, the chirping of birds will almost certainly drown out their bickering.