It's Spring!

According to our minivan's dashboard instruments, the temperature outdoors today was in the 50s. On January 28. In North Dakota. Remind you of this?

So warm out that one of our daughters had to go indoors to find ice for skating. So warm out that our other two daughters got out their bicycles again to join a neighbor girl in outdoor play. So warm out that we had the windows open. So warm out that I uncovered the grill and made supper outdoors: marinated filets mignons from Omaha Steaks, fresh asparagus, and sweet potato packets (yellow sweet potatoes sliced with onions and wrapped with minced garlic, olive oil, and seasonings in foil packets). Susan sautéed mushrooms and onions to top the steaks and made garlic toast and, for dessert, strawberry-topped cheesecake.

After supper, we went through the girls' handouts from Sunday school, each of which had Bible verses and related activities suggested for each day of the upcoming week. We had a marathon Bible session, reading and discussing all the week's verses--from all the handouts (two or three weeks' worth of verses)--and talking about the suggested activities and conversation starters within the handouts. It was a bit of Bible overload, methinks, at the end of a long, active day and a filling supper right before bedtime; they looked fatigued as I cracked open the Bible for one final verse. But afterward, as I was helping Hillary clear her plate, she said, "Daddy, would you like to say a prayer with me?" I told her, "Hillary, the answer to that question, whenever you ask it, will always be 'yes.'"