spring it on.

an amazing variety of tulips at Meijer Gardens

Grandpa Ken showing Meg around the Gardens

Henry with his many band-aids...

happy sisters in Holland, MI

Maddie's troop bridging to Junior Girl Scouts

sugar reconnaissance.

Let's just say when the Ice Cream truck visits our neighborbood, those kids are on it.

All the neighbor kids go into recon-mode when they HEAR the truck entering our subdivision a mile away. It plays the insane, repetitive music of "Popeye the Sailor Man" (and as the song plays over and over and over and over... it hypes them up for their sugar buzz. Like Pavlov's little dogs.) They don't always know which direction the truck is going to come from, so they send out the older kids on their bikes, as scouts. Somehow gaining an organizational force of a small infantry unit, they comb the surrounding streets, hunting down their source of sugar.

When the truck's position is located, they report back and wait.

As it turns the corner (approaching at a glacial pace), they descend upon it like locusts, shrieking and wielding their dollars, knowing that in moments their planning and waiting and excitement will have paid off.... for a frozen, sugary treat.

The Truck still delivers the tried and true: push-ups, bomb-pops, Mickey-mouse ice cream bars, ice cream sandwiches, snow-cones and sundae cups with the wooden-spoon-thingy. Nothing too fancy or special. Just fabulous in itself, because you tracked it down and bought it with the money you earned, or begged Mom for... (not that Mom doesn't have a whole box of ice cream bars in the freezer. Maybe I should just hand them out through the window of my mini-van for dramatic effect...)

And for about 10 minutes, my kids get along, and eat in jubilant-peace. Probably plotting what kind of treat they're going to choose the next time the Truck comes 'round.