Yesterday, MR. SUN came out. Yes, MR. SUN gets capitals because I operate under the theory that if I make him feel very special, he will come visit more often. Neighbors on our cul-de-saq exploded from their snowbound homes, drinking in the SUNSHINE. Children splashed in melting snow. Liberty ate mud and rocks while running up and down the street and periodically dropping her doll in the dirt.

My across the street neighbor and my next door neighbor are both having babies in July with me. Kelly is due July 11th, Angie is due July 21st, and I am due July 30th. The three pregnant women and our husbands met at Kelly's mailbox to compare tummies and discuss nursery decor. Jeremy and I are waiting for the citywide SPRING (yes, also capitals) garage sale to find another crib, dresser and clothes.

Kelly and Angie are both having boys. Jeremy is jealous...although, we are making progress; last night he told me that he really doesn't mind if the baby turns out to be a girl. Can you believe that?

Me either. That's why I have recorded his words for posterity just now.

Angie & Brandon's youngest daughter Maddie brought out a toy highchair and a small baby to sit in it. Liberty eyed the highchair, tactically planning her ascent. First she attempted to remove the baby. When that plan was foiled by Jeremy and I, she pretended indifference. Then she quickly tried to rip the baby from the chair by approaching from underneath. She couldn't stand the thought that something to climb stood right before her eyes, and she wasn't allowed to climb it. If that plastic baby thought it was going to keep her from her mountain, that baby had another thought coming. Six adults watched in careful amusement as she planned her next attack. The hunger for height shone plainly in her sky blue eyes. Thankfully, Maddie decided the baby and highchair needed to go back inside, and Liberty trotted off in search of another mountain.

Kimmie had been predicting snow all day, but with the temps nearing 60 we all wallowed in denial. Denny and Kelly decided to take their boat to the lake, and Jeremy and I decided to take our daughter to the bathtub.

Jeremy carried Liberty carefully at arm's length towards the house. At the front door, Kimmie and I removed her mudcaked shoes while Jeremy lamented the state of her footwear. Once inside, I peeled her wet pants off and discovered that her skin had miraculously changed color. She no longer represented a caucasian child. Her coffee skin tones were more reminiscent of an Indian nation.

We took her straight to the bathtub where her bathwater had to be changed twice before it remained clear enough to bathe in.

The rain arrived late in the afternoon, and it quickly changed to ice, then snow as evening drew on. This morning "Travel Not Advised" warnings bellowed from radio and tv stations. All roads in our area were snow and ice covered. Schools proclaimed a two-hour delay. My normally 12 minute commute took 43 minutes. It is 19 degrees.

And it was worth it all...to stand in the SUN yesterday.