Portland has a bad wrap when it comes to winter. We see a lot of rain and experience grey skies for about four months. But this winter has been relatively kind and a few small signs of spring are already poking through the drabness.

If you’re snowed in on the East Coast of America right now then you might want to look away from some of my most recent P365 pics. I’m so sorry.

The first one is relatively safe – taken at our monthly excursion to see a local (family-friendly) band. It’s at a local pizza place and this shot jumped out at me from the many I took that night. It even beat out the disco ball.

Sunshine streaming in Samuel’s room on Saturday morning. BOTH children slept past 8am. It doesn’t happen oftenbut when it does it’s a beautiful surprise.

Kei had a couple of friends over for Superbowl Sunday. I am not really a football fan (actually not at all) but I have to say that I was glad when New Orleans won. I have no idea what the score was or who was named MVP (or even what MVP means), but everone was feeling so warm and fuzzy afterward that it felt…well…not like a football game.

I warned you East Coasters – don’t hate me. The cherry blossoms are already beginning to bloom at Thomas’ school.

And this one just he’s cute. And sneaky. Samuel called out my name about thirty minutes after I put him to bed tonight. I thought he may have lost his binky (as he does too often) but he just looked and me and said “head” meaning “I hit my head”. Then he put his binky in his mouth and laughed at me like we were both in on the joke when in actuality he was the only one who found it funny. I told him to lie down and go to sleep. He kept laughing. I left the room and haven’t heard a peep from him since. So I suppose we both win.