Wind, Crayola-tasting, and backyardigains

We've discovered that here in the Rio Grande valley of New Mexico we have a fifth season: wind. The past few days have been calm, but last weekend there was so much dust blowing that it looked like beige waves crashing against the Sandias. On my birthday, I had to swerve out of the way to avoid a piece of tumbleweed that was easily the size of a Smart car.

The last few days have been calm, however, so we are hoping that the worst is behind us for now.  At least we don't have to worry about earthquakes or tsunamis.

In Anika's world, March has so far brought new adventures, like learning how to color and exploring the outdoors.

Here she is at a playdate with her buddy Moxy.  Moxy understands how to color (apparently she watercolors at home!!) but our Anika, despite making faces after ingesting chunks of wax, continued her search for the best-tasting crayon.

Yesterday was finally warm and calm enough to play in the yard, and she ran around discovering rocks and dead grass and all sorts of fun things.  Then daddy got out the hose and, just like a puppy, our Ani raced over to see what it was all about. A very soaked and very happy baby ensued. This one is not afraid of water, no matter how cold, but mommy was avoiding the frigid spray and so neglected to get pictures. We do, however, have these before shots, of her yard exploration.

Here she is learning how to throw rocks (we didn't exactly encourage this, but it must be innate):

And her newest mode of transportation: fast, fast and faster.

I couldn't resist taking this shot of the daddy-daughter sock prints:

And here are the daffodils that bloomed just in time for my birthday: