spring break

April 1st and 80 glorious degrees. It was one of those days you have to make the most of. And we did.

We started at 10:30 with an egg hunt at a friend's house. Brunch buffet, a pack of preschool friends, friendly parents, green grass, singing birds and sunshine. Oh, and a field full of hidden eggs filled with candy. Could it get any better than this? We intended to find out.

At noon it was on to Parkhurst Park to meet up with three friends and their combined total of 10 kids for a picnic lunch and an afternoon of lazy fun. The park was just improved and now features a big gazebo with picnic tables, a climbing wall, and a rope walk. But all of that may have been invisible to the girls and their friends. They spent our entire four hours there playing in two natural sand areas that feature old-fashioned water pumps. Moat digging, dam building and sand castle construction kept everyone happy as could be.

As the afternoon drew to a close, I decided to let Ella in on the rest of our plan. "I didn't tell you about it before now," I said, "but you know the author who wrote When You Give a Mouse a Cookie, and When You Give a Moose a Muffin, and all of those books?"

"Yes," she said.

"Well," I told her, "She's coming to our neighborhood today and she wants to read you her new book." Ella squealed, put both hands to her mouth, danced a little, then ran to tell the others.

I changed the girls into clean, dry clothes and piled them into the car. We were surprised to arrive at the book reading and discover it was also a giveaway. Each of the children got their own copy of Laura Numeroff's new book, "The Jellybeans and the Big Book Bonanza." She read it, and then signed each book to each child individually. She told us how she came from a family of three little girls, and that it was nice to meet us and remember how fun it was growing up. Ella beamed.

Since it was already dinner time, I decided to stop and get happy meals. Oh, the celebration. On the way home, Ella informed me, "This was my best day ever!" Then added, "And you're the best Mom ever!"

"You are!" Lauren chimed. "The best mom ever!"

"Thanks, girls," I told them,"I try."

Before we ate our dinner on the screened porch, Lauren offered to say the blessing. Right in the middle of it, Ella leaned over to her and whispered, "And thank you for the absolutely, positively best mom ever."

I think it was one of my best days ever, too.