Gotta love Spring in Alaska

Well, spring has sprung! As the sun shines daily, more things are uncovered as the snow melts. Toys are abounding, and Aaron brought in one of Naomi’s little socks. (The dog maybe???) He also brought in some of the first pussy willows! They are displayed in a pretty green vase in the middle of our diningroom table.

Soon, the trampoline should be available to have the bottom attached and the road will not be a mess of mud and the kids will be able to ride their bikes again, so they can wear off some of this endless energy! The piles of snow will not be surrounding the house where it has been shoveled off of the roof all winter, and I can have the boys run around the house several times daily during break time so they can concentrate on their studies.

In the meantime, Ivan continues to try to climb the now rotten snowhills, and sink up to his waist, losing his mudboot somewhere down at the bottom of the hole. Yes, this has happened twice. The first time was on Saturday when, of course, Daddy was laid up in bed with the flu. Mommy to the rescue!

Ivan had been tromping through the snow with Aaron, when one misstep and down he went. Aaron came running into the house saying, “Ivan is stuck!” I respond, “Well, go get him out!” Of course, he can’t so out Mommy volunteers, although somewhat reluctantly as I am in the middle of making dinner, grumbling all the way. It is nice and icy out, so I am slipping and sliding everywhere. The whole time I am outside, I hear Ivan screeching and crying at the top of his lungs. “Stop screaming Ivan! I am coming!” I holler back. I am sure the neighbors were thrilled. I get to where I have to start walking through the snowbanks, and this slows me down considerably, since I am much heavier than my 5yo son. 😉

As I am sinking up to my knees in rotten snow making my way toward Ivan, Aaron is still trying to yank Ivan out of his hole, with Ivan crying all the while, and his poor little sockless foot is turning bright red from the cold. (Try as I might, I can’t get it through the boys’ heads that it is still cold outside, and socks, shoes are a must…yes, they have even gone out barefoot already. Just as I get to Ivan, Aaron has pulled him out, and is trying to stand on one foot in the unsteady snow. I reach out with one hand, grab one of Ivan’s arm, and swing him onto my back, his wet pants soaking through my dry one…so delightful.

Now remember that the snow is rotten, and I weigh about 130lbs (still haven’t lost the “baby” fat from being pregnant with Micah…another topic) and with Ivan’s weight on my back, I am now a hefty 175lbs! One step and I sink up past my waist. I feel my boots lodge deep into the newly formed hole with the snow falling down around them, and think to myself, “Now *I* am going to get stuck!” I swing Ivan off of my back, and set him down once more on the snow. He is finally calming down, but doesn’t like being set down on the cold bank yet again.

I manage to free one foot, and start stomping around the bottom of the hole in order to gain a solid plain on which to get some leverage. Pulling as hard as I can, I am able to free my second foot, climb out of the hole, scoop Ivan up, placing him on my back once again, and climb on hands and feet up the hill to firmer ground, or rather, snow.

As we slip and slide home, me holding Ivan’s ruby foot in one hand and his sopping wet hinny in my other, and Ivan wrapping his arms tightly around my neck (“Ivan, you’re choking me!”), I try to instill into my young son the virtue of wearing socks when it is only 40 degrees outside.