All is black, and a small voice rouses me awake. "Mama.... Mama!! I think the trees are waking up!"



I blink and rub my eyes and try to focus on the clock. 5:00. It's still and dark outside...



"Mama... Can we please go see if the trees are waking up?? PLEASE?" Kaya asks.



We have been talking about Spring. How everything is starting to wake
up from it's long Winters nap. The anticipation in her voice is so
strong, I can't deny her.







Together, we stumble through the still-dark house, careful not to wake
Papa and sister. We pull Carhartt's, boots and coats over our PJ's and
head out.



The world is just starting to turn the blueish color of pre-dawn. I
hold my little ones hand, and we head off through the yard, in search
of waking trees. Off in the distance, I hear the first bird of the
morning tune up his song. Not long after, he is answered from a bird in
the other direction.



We head off towards the woods. The moist earth makes a squishy noise
under our feet that makes Kaya laugh. She holds my hand, and walks with
a determined step. As we pass the pine trees of the yard, Kaya cocks
her head and whispers "Nope, they're still fweeping."



Slowly, dawn rises. By the time we got to our favorite spot in the
woods, the sky is filled with pink streaks. We stop for a moment, and
rest on a fallen tree. From where we sit, the rolling hills of our
landscape surround us. We hear no cars, or barking dogs... The worries
for tomorrow and stresses of yesterday are simply gone without a trace.
Hand in hand, we listen to the wind in the trees and the symphony of
birds, whose songs are rising to a crescendo to greet the new day.



Suddenly, Kaya gasps "Mama!!! LOOK!" and points her chubby fingers
through the trees. My eyes are not quite so new, so it takes a minute
to see what she's talking about. And then I see them. A group of deer
are making their way through the woods to the corn field that borders
it. They step delicately, cautiously, and then stop to munch on some
grass that's been hidden by snow for months. "The deer are waking up!"
she whispers, the excitement bubbling up in her voice.



I put my arm around her, and we sit. Watching and listening to the
world come alive... The deer graze slowly towards the field, three
adults and two smaller ones. They see us, but they don't show any sign
of alarm, as if they sense we are not a threat. Kaya laughs when the
two younger ones start to frolic a bit, bouncing in the last bit of
snow that's left. They slowly make thier way to the field to forage for
corn.



From above, we suddenly hear the trill of a chipmunk. We look up to see
him in the branches of a tree, and he looks down as us and makes a
scolding sound. "Well, should we continue?" I say to my little
travelling partner. As we stand up and stretch my legs, something falls
to the ground in front of us. "A NUT!" Kaya says with a big grin. "The
trees woke up and threw us a NUT!" And she reaches for the dropped
acorn and holds it in her hand to examine it. Her smile is contaigious,
and before I know it I am laughing.... And so is she.



Hand in hand, we head home for breakfast and to show Papa and Nico the
magical nut. On the way, Kaya starts singing a little song. "The trees
woke up and threw us a nut... The trees are waking up. The trees are
waking up. It's going to be Spring, so wake up trees..." My eyes well
up with tears, I feel so blessed... To share a new day dawning with
such an enchanted little girl is such a gift...