Good morning! Happy Easter to my friends who celebrated this weekend, and Chag Sameach to those of you who are celebrating Passover. We had a red letter weekend, for sure. My parents have been here visiting since Wednesday afternoon, which has been fun for all of us – my mom has been cleaning like a tornado in the kids’ rooms and the playroom (will it last? ha) and my dad has been outside getting Nugget in shape for tee-ball, which starts today. My parents are on their way home now, but it has been a good visit. And the weekend was the best part.

I started the weekend off on a high note, with some incredible news on Friday afternoon. More to come about that soon, I promise! It was good enough that I put a bottle of my fanciest California sparkling wine in the fridge and we had a family toast with dinner to celebrate. (Apologies for being vague. I’ll spill the beans soon, because I’m too excited to keep it in – but there are people who need to be told in person first. And no, it’s not a baby. Obviously – wine.) Anyway! I had a smile on my face all weekend. On Saturday, we hung out together at the house in the morning, then fed the kids an early lunch and shoved off for a bike ride – my parents taught the kids to ride their bikes without training wheels – and then to Old Town for the afternoon. In the evening, my parents ran interference while Steve and I put the kids’ big Easter present together in the yard; read on. I wrapped up the evening by pulling together the Easter Bunny’s offerings, then collapsed on the couch.

On Sunday morning, the kids woke up to their baskets and their big present, then my dad went off to church while the rest of the family stayed home and watched the kids enjoy their Easter morning. (Steve and I are still patiently waiting for our vaccines; my mom is vaccinated but didn’t want to be in a crowd of people at church.) When my dad got home, we had a family brunch and then hiked at Rust Nature Preserve before coming home to a traditional Polish cold Easter supper. I was on my feet and smiling almost all weekend, outdoors for hours on end, I’m exhausted now, and it was great.

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Reading. Rather a slow reading week. I read at my usual pace early on and finished Mango and Mimosa on Tuesday, but then two things happened: (1) I picked up The Iliad, which is many things but is not a quick read; and (2) my mom arrived and we spent several evenings in a row sitting on my couch chatting over our boxed wine. (We are classy people!) So – at press time, I’m about halfway through The Iliad. I’m enjoying it very much, and I do expect to pick up the pace now that my parents are headed home. No regrets, though! I’d much rather talk to my houseguests than bury my face in a book during the limited time we have to spend with them.

Watching. We finished up our journey through Narnia over the last week, and then Peanut convinced Steve and my parents that we should start it over again on Sunday. Because The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is an Easter allegory. (Apparently she was actually listening to me when I explained that?!?!) Oh, and I watched The Holderness Family’s “Vaccination Day” Frozen parody about eleventy-seven million times. (I texted the link to my friend Helena. Her response: “DID YOU GET AN APPOINTMENT?!?!?!?!?” I replied: “No, but I need to talk about this video with someone.”)

Listening. More of All Creatures Great and Small (four hours down, eleven to go!). And the kids requested “tunes” as we were driving to and from hiking and Old Town this weekend, so everyone got to listen to my R.E.M. live album. Hey-o.

Moving. While I keep saying that I am going to hit the weights again, it was another functional fitness week. Lots of cleaning the house to prepare for guests, and then running after Nugget on his bike, chasing the kids through Old Town, and hiking at Rust – all good stuff, but informal. Oh, and there was this week’s making, which was a workout:

Making. The kiddos’ big Easter present – a climbing dome! I’ve been wanting to get them something big and cool for the backyard (and let’s face it: they don’t need more junk to pile in the playroom corners). I narrowed it down to the climbing dome or a giant sprinkler, and the dome won out because they can use it all year long. I ordered it online and Steve and I spent several hours in the side yard on Saturday night, assembling it so it would be ready for them to discover on Easter morning. There was a lot of running back and forth, propping up the structure as it came together, and dashing around screwing on handholds – trying to beat the sunset. On Sunday morning, Steve groaned, “I feel like I just moved houses yesterday.” It was a big project. The red and blue colors remind me of Spider-Man, and I deserve a medal for not quoting Into the Spider-Verse excessively as we assembled the thing. (“We’re a little team! Me, the teacher, who can still do it. You, the student, who can do it… just not as good. I’m proud of us! Is there something you want to say to me?”) Oh, yeah, and in addition to the climbing dome, I made: an Easter basket assembly; Cadbury egg fudge (that was supposed to be a project with the kids, but once again the Little Red Hen ended up doing it all alone with no helpers); smoked salmon egg casserole for brunch; and a big decision about the future, nbd.

Blogging. March reading round-up for you on Wednesday, and another poem on Friday. Of course! It’s National Poetry Month, what can I do? I don’t make the rules.

Loving. You guys, I’m so excited. I signed Nugget up for tee-ball! I had tried but ran into difficulties with the website, so I emailed the league organizers and luckily they had space for him. His first practice is this afternoon, and his first game is on Saturday. All my baseball mom dreams are coming true! Go Nats! Hold me.

Asking. What are you reading this week?