I tried not to complain too too much about what felt like an endless winter, in part because seasons are seasons– they come and go pretty much without fail– and in part because as a super tired, pregnant, sunlight-deprived lady whose toddler regularly woke her at 4:30 in the morning, I wasn’t exactly hurting for things to complain about.

But now that it’s over, you can bet– just in time for Eastertide– I’m crying alleluia from the rooftops. There is sun! There are clear sidewalks! Things are turning green! Flowers! Non-root vegetables at the greenmarket!

Winnie is obviously completely delighted, though confused that our house-leaving routine only sometimes requires a hat and coat. She’d really gotten that whole getting dressed for the weather bit down, often admonishing me when I would head out without a hat, or worse, when I would wear Mike’s hat outside of the house: “Dada hat! No Mommy hat! Dada hat! No Mommy hat! Mommy! Dada hat!” Geez, Win, things are a little more fluid around here, okay?

It’s been raining a fair amount, because, you know, seasons, but Winnie has become a master of the just-rained-on playground experience. It’s nearly always empty, the slides go faster, and there are plenty of puddles to stomp in. She’s been absolutely killing it on the playground lately– tons of independent play, exploring her physical skills and limitations, trying and trying and trying again (my favorite). Here’s a little video of a recent playground adventure, sped up because while toddlers are adorable they are not the quickest creatures around, plus a funny Beatles song, because Win said so.

Winnie Conquers the Playground from Sascha Anderson on Vimeo.