Rainy Day

The back of this rain jacket pretty much sums up life with my dear toddler this week.  Holy moly!  In fact, everyone has been in need of some time out - in one fashion or another.

 I'm pretty sure our kids have been suffering from a perfect storm of cabin fever, Day After Christmas Syndrome (who knew that was a real thing, ha), too little structure, and waaay too much sugar.

In any event, I have been pretty much a glorified referee from the time my eyes have opened until bed. 

And actually, I discovered this week that my eyes don't, in fact, have to be open at all, as I was approached to resolve a dispute over a bad My Little Pony trade deal before I had even achieved vertical status for the day.   

But just when I was starting to think I should get a whistle so I could at least referee from one spot, we got just what we needed - 

a rainy, warm day!

I don't even care if it's raining.  If it's not freezing, we're out!

First, we walked Libby - who is the sweetest dog on the planet - but the most backward, impossible-to-walk canine ever created.  She stops literally every seven feet and digs in her heels with staunch, elderly dog entitlement.  And my left arm brings me to a screeching halt while Bubs and Baby Sis pull away from my right and scatter like chicks in opposite directions - usually in the street.  It's tons of fun.

I knew better than to attempt to bring my camera for that.  And I wasn't actually going to bring it at all - until we dropped Libs off and walked over to our favorite bridge, and the kids were playing, and they all looked so cute in their raincoats and boots.  Then I may have caved and called Biggest Brother to bring it over to me.  :)  

But look!  How could I have missed capturing that precious face?!

She was so happy.

Playing in the rain was exactly what she needed!

Even the big girls aren't too big for that.

They were loving the way their running, rainboot-clad feet sounded like a herd of horses.

Bubs loves anything gross.  Most relevantly, trying to stick his hand down a backed-up drain to see what he could pull out.  Blech!  That's like reaching into after-dinner dishwater to unplug the sink - except you don't know what was for dinner.  No!

Apparently, making faces gives one a distinct advantage in games of Red Light Green Light.

Baby Sis is quite good at making faces.

Bubs enjoys it much more than our fellow parishioners probably do, so we're working on that.  ;) 

 All of these matching lefts and rights were totally worth the hour it took to find them!

We arrived home with a couple of wet, happy, sleepy, small humans, a much more peaceful house, and loads of gratitude for a warm, rainy day.

Thank goodness!