Croser Family Blog: Seasons

It always astonishes me how quickly the seasons change here. I don't remember it being like this in England. Only one month ago West Chester was covered in a number of inches of snow with no sign of it thawing. The nights were freezing and the days were barely above. Then all of a sudden last week we had bright sunshine, blue skies and temperatures in the 70s! When spring comes, it really turns just like that. Before I know it I'm rushing about trying to prep the garden in time for the flowers to come up, and I'm thinking about planting again.

I have noticed each year we have been here too that summer ends so abruptly. August is hot and humid, and you can't imagine what it's like to wear a jacket again, let alone imagine snow. Then Labor Day weekend (normally the first weekend in September) arrives and all of a sudden the leaves start to turn, the wind picks up and the temperature cools. By Lucy's birthday you can't guarantee a nice day to be able to party outside.

Back to spring - we've certainly enjoyed the sunshine this past week. We've played outside a lot and Lucy has slept well as a result! We were given Max's 'Rollercoaster' toy before he left for Germany, and that has been reinstated on the patio for Lucy to whizz up and down on. Her physical confidence, even since the autumn, has grown hugely. Today it's raining so we'll give the garden toys a rest.

I planted some pansies at the weekend, to brighten up the garden. The bulbs are yet to come but when they do we'll have pockets of tulips and daffs in various spots around the garden. It's nice that they actually come up - in our last house the deer and groundhogs would eat the shoots and we would sometimes lose the tulips particularly.

Today Lucy had her 2 and a half year check up with our lovely pediatrician Dr Rob. He is a fabulous doctor and not only does he make Lucy feel at ease, but he always takes time to congratulate us on how well we are doing in raising her. As parents we're rarely given a pat on the back for the work we do, but when you get one from someone who really knows what they're talking about (he is a pediatrician AND he has five children of his own!), then it feels good.

Lucy checked out perfectly and Dr Rob was really happy with everything. As well as the usual height, weight measurements etc. they check for autism at this appointment. Needless to say he had no doubts that Lucy is doing everything she should and there's no danger of it. She now measures 35 inches (below average) and has just hit 30lb in weight. Now I know why my back aches with all the lifting and carrying into the car ;)