The snow shovels were put away for the season. We had raked the back yard, shoveled up the winter's load of dog poop, and even brought out the riding toys. We felt Spring. All the fallen branches had been picked up and we even had chopped up the remaining chunks of ice in the yard.

And then, on April 1st. . . SNOW!?  It wasn't just a dusting either. Rather, several inches of heavy, wet snow fell for hours Thursday night into Friday. It covered the riding toys, attempted to smother the new green shoots, and almost took our spirits away. But in the morning, Eliza looked out the sliding-glass door in the kitchen and said "Outside, outside!" over and over again with overjoyed excitement. So I pulled on our snow boots, slid the girls into their snow pants, zippered them into their winter jackets, and covered their hands and heads, and we ventured into the yard. 

The snow was absolutely perfect for making snowmen, or snow. . . sculptures, as Anna did. And Eliza spent her time gathering snow balls between her mittened hands. What made the snow even more perfect is that by the afternoon, it had almost all melted. 

This is what happens when you ask a 3-year-old to help a 1-year-old. 

And now, we are ready for Spring.