Ah, spring {plus, a giveaway}

Yes, I did say giveaway in the title and I know that you will probably just skim this post until you find the magic words, "here's what you need to do to enter." I will get to that in a bit. I've been anticipating this day for what feels like forever now. On this day, I look at the tiny buds of the daffodils blooming in the soft morning light, and even though there is still a chill in the air, I feel like winter is finally behind us. Along with the snow and the ice, the frigid temperatures and the long, dark nights, I hope winter takes with her the doubts, shadows and fears that tend to loom large when the sun isn't shining quite as much. As the writer and NPR commentator Andrei Codrescu wrote, "We've had our frigid weather, cold enough to freeze the glitter on a fairy, and now it's spring." I, for one, am ready for the pruning and regrowth this season brings.

The first day of spring often coincides with the birthday of one of my favorite people. She's often mentioned on this blog because she takes awesome photographs of me and my family. However, this year it happens to fall on another special person's birthday. His name is Ryan and he's only 2, but he's already made an impression on me. I started following his mom on Instagram because I wanted to win a certain cloth diaper giveaway. I fully intended to stop following once the giveaway was over because let's face it, the thought of following the photos from a company dedicated to helping you take care of your baby's poop just doesn't sound all that appealing (that company would be Spray Pal). Then a funny thing happened. I started seeing the photos from this "CEO of poop" and instantly fell in love with minispraypal 2.0, as Ryan is known on the interwebs. I've loved watching this micropreemie achieve milestones and overcome challenges, and I feel honored to play a tiny role in his 2nd birthday celebration.

This is where the giveaway comes in. So many awesome companies have come together to celebrate Ryan's special day with the mother of all giveaways. I'm serious, you guys. It's so big that it had to be split into 2 super awesome prize packs. The rafflecopter is going to seem daunting, but you have some time so spread your entries out. Comment and spread the word over social media now, then come back while your nursing your little one and do a few more entries, and repeat during the next few days! It will be so worth it! Some of the great prizes include a Nook highchair from Joovy, a Beco Soleil baby carrier, and Freshly Picked moccasins, not to mention a slew of cloth diapers. Okay, I'll go ahead and mention a few of those too--sustainablebabyish|Sloomb, Rockabums, and Lalaybye Baby!

a Rafflecopter giveaway