Rain... again

It's a struggle to keep Grace inside, especially when the boys go running out to play in the mud puddles. I was holding Joshua when I heard the door slam. "One of you girls go out with Grace." (The boys are not responsible enough to keep an eye on her.)
"I did it last time."
"I just took a shower."
"It's still raining."
"I'll give you a dollar if you go."

So they flipped a coin.

"No, heads mean you go."
"Na ha, I picked heads so that means I pick who goes."

Oh, whatever, I got up in a huff, irritated at their unhelpfulness (is that a word?) and Joshua and I went out to wander around the muddy yard with Grace. But I'm so glad I did. Rain doesn't exactly make me happy, so it does my heart good to see my kids get so much joy out of something so messy.

And... I got some good pictures!





So whats an afternoon of playing in the rain without getting into a mud fight?


"Jooooe!"

"Now what do I do with him?"

"I was just lookin, I promise."



Check out these eyelashes!

Bubbles

What is it about bubbles? It is amazing that something so simple can keep their attention for hours, or until the bubbles are gone (or get dumped.) Courtney kept the bubbles going until she got dizzy and fell down.
Yeah, I know, insert joke here about Courtney being dizzy.

Thank you, Papa Choo Choo, for sending these bubbles over.
(For those who don't know, that's my Dad. The boys named him that a few years ago, cause he has trains, of course! )






So that's three pics in a row of Jacob eating the bubbles. Can they really taste that good?

"Tay!"

You always know when Gracie's getting into trouble. She will come and find you, give you a real serious look, point her finger at you and say "tay!" (stay)

We picked a bunch of strawberries this week and they were on the table. They weren't off limits, I had them on the table for a reason. I wanted everyone to enjoy them.
But Grace, I guess, thought they were forbidden. She came into the living room, with strawberry juice dripping down her chin, pointed her finger at me and said "tay!" then ran back to the kitchen where she stole a few more berries. She came back in to see me, rubbed her belly, smiled and said "Mmmm!" then got real serious. "Tay!" and back to the kitchen for more. She must have done this ten times.

She really thought she was slick. I know, I know, I should not have let her think she was getting away with being disobedient, but she was so stinkin cute.

Duck

Coming back from our walk, I spotted something furry in the parking lot. "What's that, Grace?"
"DUCK!"
The poor little thing was scared to death, seeing Grace come chasing after it. It scurried away, flapping its wings but not going far, and found shelter under my skirt! I stepped back and it scurried right back under again and again, I can't believe I didn't step on the thing. But I finally got ahold of it.

BTY
We've researched this before - it's a myth that a mama bird will eat or kill their young if they smell human on them. And if you find a baby bird that doesn't fly, it most likely hasn't fallen out of it's nest prematurely or has been abandoned. There are some birds that leave the nest before they can fly and the mother continues to care for them on the ground. I would think it would make for a lot of kitty snacks.(Kind of remind me of the way some humans raise their young - but that's a post for another day) ;)



I held it behind my back and called Courtney over. She was a little nervous about what I was going to do to her. But I just wanted to capture her reaction. She's my animal lover, can't you tell?

Jump

Our bike rides have turned into playtime on the gravel pile. Just a few steps down the road they all get sidetracked and dump the bikes to climb up the hill. WE stay here for an hour until I call it's time to home.
"But we didn't go on a bike ride yet!"



Do you like Jacob's outfit?
We were already across the street before I realized he was dressed for bed, bare feet and all.





Now that's the way to take a bike ride.