Rain, Rain Go AWAY!

The month of May was a nasty affair here.  Rain, rain, rain and more rain.  Though we had a couple of decent days here and there.  The kids and I have been snuggling up inside most of the time so I finally caved and bought some nice wood puzzles, the cardboard type I was getting before just wasn't cutting it.  Both the kids LOVE to do puzzles.  Kayda is escpecially good with special orientation.  She does a puzzle a couple of times with an adult, then magically she is putting pieces in their approximate locations WITHOUT any other pieces even near them (see below).  Dillon is still figuring out how to get them turned correctly but he can tell you where a piece should go and sort out which pieces create each part of the picture.  They will sit there and play with these things (I bought more than I should have...course I fully intend to get more of them) for up to an hour. 

We have been spending every opportunity outside, even in light rain.  The kids go out front to the cul-de-sac and play with the other kids that live in our cul-de-sac.  They ride bikes, play catch (to the best of their slowly increasing ability), dig in the dirt, watch the dogs play.  Speaking of dogs Hank has made friends with our neighbors dog.  Since he's started playing with Gunner, Hank has started being a much more obedient dog, he comes when I call and he is playing fetch out front now instead of just when he's confined.  So he is outside, even in the front yard, with the kids and I almost all the time now. 

Anyways back to the kids.  We bought Dillon a bike, 14 inch thinking 12 is too small and Kayda's 16in is too big.  Well guess what... he's tall enough to get on it but can't reach the pedals at the very bottom.  So he has his blue big bike that he LOVES but he won't even try to ride it because it's too big.  Oh well, guess he'll have to stick with his trike for a while longer.  Despite the fact that Dillon pedals three times as fast and moves half the speed all the kids have been having a great time outside.  Here are a couple of pictures:

I love living in a cul-de-sac, well not in it but on the way into a cul-de-sac.  It's a great place for the kids to play and I can keep an eye on them easily.  They ride their bikes in the cul-de-sac, down to our house and back, all day long.  

I have been roaming craigslist almost obsessively ever since Uncle Jordan showed me a sandbox he found on there that I fell in love with.  Well good news!  I found one, for the fourth time, and was the first contact so we are now the proud owners of a sandboat!  The only boat we'll own for a LONG time.  It has a canopy and a padded seat for the bench on the back which are currently being washed.  The front also has a cover but I have to fix it, it's meant for toy storage.  The kids and I are so excited!  They were out there playing in it in the rain yesterday after we got it.  Kayda is anxiously waiting for me to finish this post right now so we can go play with it, Dillon's sleeping. 

Last but not least, it is official, I will NOT be working next year.  I handed in my resignation May 26th.  I'll still have to substitute occassionally for a little breathing room but for the most part I will be home to be mommy, nurse, teacher, chauffeur, play date organizer, snuggler, story teller, artist etc with my wonderful children!