Feeling Thankful...and sometimes confused

Wow. My east coast family and friends are having the most bizarre, intense winter. The amount of snow in DC & DE is just too much for me to comprehend. I see the facebook status updates and the photos posted there. I visit my friends' blogs and read the amazing stories. My parents even took me on a tour of their yard via their laptop webcam & skype. In fact, my California world is so enmeshed with my east coast loved ones' that sometimes I have to remind myself that No, I am not actually snowed in anywhere. It's just that I've been reading about it for the last hour and now feel like I should go fix us all some hot chocolate and make soup. It's a confusing feeling, coming back to reality.

But oh, it's so good to realize that our reality is 70 degrees and sunny. I'm not bragging about this, because I know that our blissful enjoyment of this reality is finite. I'm trying to soak it in, make the most of it, recognize that we've got something great here. And then I'm heading to REI to buy parkas and snowpants for next winter!

In that spirit, here are a few shots of our walk up to the neighborhood park last week.

The usual stop to pick a leaf for everyone. Check out her stroller here. She invented a way to make her own 'double decker'. She's got her baby on the top and Simon's baby below, in the basket. She's wearing baby's backpack with extra diapers & clothes...just in case!

The rest of us. Usually I carry Si in the backpack, but he's getting to be quite the load these days. Too much for a lazy morning at the park.