robins, rain boots, and really good ice cream

Our sweet Rilla has a fever today (after a long night of it too) so we are lying low this morning. I'm reading Keith a hilarious review of Love Wins and Rilla is eating some delicious one ingredient ice cream. (Yeah! One ingredient! You have got to try this stuff!!)

Outside, spring is finally here. Winter has been kicking some last flurries of hail and snow our way this month, but the flower shoots and green grass betray the oncoming of spring. There are daffodils on the table... bought from Fred Meyer, but still... and my heart is happy, because spring is my favorite time of year.

It's perfect mud puddle weather. A few days ago Rilla and I took our red rain boots and splashed in every puddle that we could find. Snow eventually chased us indoors, but it was one of those delightful springtime things that gladdens everyone's hearts after a long winter.

The robins have been back for the last few weeks, and there are a few of them in our yard at all times, vigorously attacking the robust earthworm population. I think there are a lot of other bird varieties too, but besides the sparrows and woodpeckers, I don't know what they are. But I love the continual birdsong around our home!

Abraham has recently become mobile. At eleven months, it's about time (!), but I'm still adjusting to having him be able to rocket across the floor on his forearms. He's getting up on all fours but hasn't figured out the actual crawling technique yet. Maybe soon.

I read a great post on Tim Elmore's blog the other day about the leader as performer. In so many ways it seems to describe life as a parent. We have to choose to model patience, kindness, gentleness, and so on whether we feel it or not. Usually the feeling joins up with the action after we carefully practice it for a while, but either way, we still have to... well, man up, for lack of a better phrase. Here's a quote:

                  "The leader as a performer is one who models behavior hoping that followers will replicate it.  Consequently, the leader may act calm even when feeling desperate, or may assume an air of confidence when uncertain, in order to help followers maintain their own emotional stability... I believe healthy cultures come when a leader can balance their art of genuine humanity, with the need to perform those actions that elicit the right response from their followers... Leadership must be based on the need of the people, not the feelings of the leader."

Anyway, just read the article; it's really good, and I think it describes the leading-but-performing-but-being-authentic tension well. (There are a bunch of other new links to good posts on my little "recent recommendations" sidebar too, if you're interested. I post new ones whenever I find them.)

Keith has been distracting Abraham with battle techniques and future career discussions while I finish this up, but my little son is beginning to call for Mama and ferociously sign "NURSE!" (why did I teach him that??) and so I'd better go.