It was a positively gorgeous day today, the first day that I’ve truly felt spring in the air. We drove to town this morning to do a bit of shopping and not only was the highway clear and dry, but there were also little patches of grass visible by the side of the road. I even went so far as to wear my “regular” shoes instead of my snow boots for the first time in more than four months. Liberation!

We spent the afternoon over at Olof’s sister’s house with most of the extended family, celebrating her two younger kids’ birthdays. Between Anna’s three kids, our two, and our two dogs there was plenty of activity. One of my favorite parts of the day was when not-quite-one-year-old Irma crawled up between Asbjørn and Lucy, took hold of the bone they had found in the yard, and gave it a few sample chews of her own. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that my dogs could use some improvement in the behavior department, but they’re both top-notch when it comes to kid-friendliness. Even though there had been some tension and posturing over the bone between the dogs themselves, neither of them so much as looked askance at the baby when she laid claim to it. Can’t ask for more than that, I think.