Those I Love Best

These are the people I love best:

My oldest son, J, full of a bounding zeal for life that I wish I could bottle.

My barely-oldest son, B, kind-hearted and sensitive to the needs of all around him.

My husband, The Professor, who adores and cherishes his family and his wife. My daughter, C, who loves to love everyone around her.

I love them.

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In other news, it's high time I revealed just what those pesky flags were doing in our lawn. Y'all had some really great guesses, and I truly wish I could brag that we were installing an in-ground sprinkler system (though it's not really necessary up here) or landscaping lighting. Instead, we were doing something that will probably seem mundane to you, although it was the height of excitement for us.

We were planting a tree.

THIS, my friends, is not just any tree. The reason my goofy husband and I are standing near it, unsure as how to pose, is because this was an anniversary tree, purchased in honor of our fifth anniversary. We have needed a shady, fast-growing tree in that part of our front lawn for years now, but we didn't want just any tree. We wanted a tulip tree, which are extremely popular in Chicagoland and which pack quite a punch in the early spring and which are a little on the pricey side at our local reputable nursery. Tulip tree ended up being a misnomer, however; an actual tulip tree is more of a shrub. What people up here call a "tulip tree" is actually a saucer magnolia, a northern magnolia with gorgeous pink blossoms very early on in spring that die out to be replaced by beautiful light green foliage.

Aaaand... you're probably way bored.

Sorry. We just really love to plant things, and we particularly love tulip trees (saucer magnolias, whatever.) We are so proud of it and the fabulous growth it's already showing. And imagine our delight when, after some quick research, we realized that the traditional gift for a couple's fifth anniversary is, indeed, wood.

It's like fate or something.

Anyway, the flags were required by law in Illinois so that we didn't, you know, hit our gas line while digging a pit for our love tree. That would have been a total bummer, and we are, after all, law-abiding citizens.

So! I hope you weren't left in suspense for too long. Our tree has been nestled in our front yard for a few weeks now, and on our anniversary last week I treated my husband to dinner at a local Italian place with my own hard-earned cash. Five years ago that might have bothered him; now he's just happy to get out and about, away from our kids, that I don't think he would have complained had I taken him to White Castle.

Seriously, he might have preferred that.