Spring!

Spring has arrived in Colorado, this week temps have hit over 70f most days, the daffodils are blooming and the grass is turning green. Today has been a scorcher, hot enough for bikinis and wine in the garden. It's been an interesting and very happy day for me today. We have been in the area for seven months now and winter has kind of cloistered all the neighbors away. In typical 'Suburban America' fashion the first really nice Sunday saw everyone outside, we were washing cars, trimming hedges and the kids began to appear. Ethan got up the courage to go and make conversation and made some neighborhood friends. The group of about eight kids have spent the whole afternoon running from backyard to backyard, playing on climbing sets, running through sprinklers and bouncing on the trampoline in the sunshine, I know it sounds like that kitsch American upbringing and maybe it is, a bit so, but it has really made me smile for Ethan. For me to see him running and playing in a safe neighborhood is special and makes me heart happy.

Life in Colorado is still pretty great. Yes, there are things that bug me, there would be anywhere we lived. The winter can be tricky with big snow storms making driving difficult and Spring weather comes with the risk of wildfires and flash flooding. As we spend longer here, we spend less time on the tourist trail and a bit more time doing the boring stuff, home improvements, washing cars etc. Making a conscious effort to still do fun stuff is important but easily overlooked.

This year we have finally planned some real family vacation time. We have a Spring Break booked to visit Santa Fe in New Mexico. We plan to hike, visit some museums, drink Margaritas and eat lots of Mexican Food. After that we have a stint before summer break. Our first proper family beach vacation in years is booked for summer, and we are all super excited. After that my Mum is coming out to visit for a decent holiday this time and we can spend some time with her, showing her everything that Colorado has to offer, well some of it at least.

All in all, some hugely exciting times are ahead, I promise to try to blog more... sorry!