Rain, rain...

April Rain Song

by Langston Hughes

Let the rain kiss you.

Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops.

Let the rain sing you a lullaby

The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk.

The rain makes running pools in the gutter.

The rain plays a little sleep-song on our roof at night - 

And I love the rain.

Of course it's not April, but we have been getting allot of rain lately. And I do love it. Summer thunder and lightning storms are fun to watch and little misty rains tickle my face. Evelyn loves jumping in puddles and I wish I could let her do it more often. It's just that most of the puddles around here are full of car exhaust and oily residue. We need some good clean mud! The above picture is from a few years ago, when I took the kids to a park in some sprinkling rain. It was so much fun! I think I'll add it to our things-to-do-this-summer list. 

Out of our ordinary

Was it the second week of November? It feels like such a long time ago! John had a couple of days off work consecutively, (which almost never happens), so we decided to pack up the kids and head down to Columbus for a visit with Aunt Stephanie and Uncle James! Despite their busy schedules we were welcomed with open arms, they are the best!

And the weather was phenomenal! Especially for our trip to the Zoo. The aquarium was a fun place. I just loved watching the kids' reaction to all the new things they were seeing! Aunt Stephanie treated little John to his first Carousel ride. He was kind of worried but did pretty good. :)

Thankfully the kids did great with sleeping away from home. Their bed-time is around 8 and at home I usually follow soon after. But Stephanie helped me remember that I can still have fun after 8 p.m.! I always feel so refreshed and ready to try new things when I spend time with her. Thank you Stephanie!

It was so great to get out and away from our ho-hum routine. We all had so much fun, and the kids exceeded our expectations on how they handled the car ride and being in a new place. On the second day of the trip little John did ask to "go home", but was soon distracted. Maybe we won't wait so long before our next family trip! As long it's okay with Uncle James and Aunt Stephanie. :)

Pretty much Perfect

A few weeks ago I took the kids to Independence Lake again. This time we met my sister-in-law and her 2 kids there. We had a blast! I didn't worry about getting little John to take off his shirt, and leaving his socks and sandals on was just fine with me. I did try to coax him in the water though, shamelessly using his cousin as an example of what would be fun for him to do.

He thought about it while throwing sand into the water, and after some time he stepped in a little.

I was so proud!

Evelyn was oh-so-cute in her swimsuit! And had a good time watching all the action or...

...just hanging out. :)

We came home tired and sandy and happy. What a beautiful day!

Beach Bums?

I had been thinking about taking the kids to a beach for quite awhile. Little John had been asking to play in sand with his bucket and shovel and the picture that came to mind was perfect. I was sitting on a towel with Evelyn by my side under the shade of an umbrella. Close by was a pile of sand being worked on by my happy boy. Every now and then we would splash in the shallows to cool off. It was wonderful...

Here's what really happened. My dear sister came with us, and I am so glad she did! It was nice to have an extra set of helping hands, and even nicer to have an adult to talk to! I did sit on a towel...or maybe it was a sarong. And we were able to put Evelyn under an umbrella, but it didn't last long. She would wiggle herself into the sun or the wind would blow it over. For the most part she lounged in the stroller and was quite happy sucking on the corner of a towel.

As for sand play, my efforts to make it look exciting and fun were not very fruitful. Little Johns desire to keep his shirt on, put socks on his feet and stay clean overpowered any allure the sand may have had. I also tried to show him how fun the water was by holding him and wading out. It wasn't long before he was screaming for aunt Michelle, who was on dry ground. He was very happy to say "Bye beach!" as we headed for the car.

So it wasn't what I thought it would be, but I wasn't disappointed. It was a beautiful day, I had great company, and it was empowering to do something so different from our ordinary. I think a few more trips will help my boy warm up to the wonders of a beach. And maybe we should practice getting our feet a little dirty every now and then. :)

So many Titles, So little Time

Every day I come up with at least 2 post titles to blog about, but I find it hard to update that often (obviously). So this post will most likely consist of little blurbs, random and possibly not the most thought provoking, but therapeutic for me - which is great!

My Dilemma

Going out of the house for whatever reason is usually a big production. Fully stocked diaper bag over one shoulder, baby carrier hooked through an arm, and the other arm reaching for a 2 year olds wandering hand. Many things are bumped into, and some things are forgotten (like the item that I was going to return to the store - the reason for going out in the first place). Yet, I still venture out, because staying in for too long threatens my sanity.

So when it is time to buy more diapers I am ready to go. On a recent trip I was feeling so good about myself and how capable I was to go shopping with two children. My girl was strapped to my front and my boy was in the cart seat. I strolled around as I got what we needed and we were all three still quite happy as we began to check out. At this point it wasn't long before I discovered that my wallet was not where I thought it was....

And so I left all my non-purchases at the cashier for some poor worker to re-stock. My boy was sad to leave behind his snacks, and my girl cried most of the way home. So when we got there the momma needed to be held by the daddy.

4 Diapers in 10 Minutes!

I have been so pleased that this new little baby has not had the leaking and "blow-out" diapers that I expected. However I think the reason for that is because she somehow saves it for when I change her. I think she's done and get the new diaper under her, but wait! There's more! Okay, new diaper and she sneezes this time...I can't blame her, it's such a tiny body, no room for extra stuff. New diaper, but now she's angry at being moved around and exposed for so long, so she's crying and those great tummy muscles are very effective. New diaper and I actually get her dressed again. We are relaxing and all of a sudden...we need a new diaper. Amazing.

Hello Ankles!

While pregnant I was all too aware of my weight gain and how swollen I was. I got used to it though, what else could I do? After she was born I was a little disappointed to see that my extremities swelled up even more. Oh well, my head hurt so it was easy to not think about these cankles. And then, one day I looked down and was amazed to see MY ankles! I had forgotten what they looked like! My ankle bone was actually visible! They didn't look soft and puffy! They were mine again! Hello ankles! You have been missed! Lets do some yoga!

Tears In My Eyes

When I'm laughing so hard with my little boy, talking to my sweet girl as she focuses on my face, or holding them both in arms, I am grateful. And it shows in my eyes. I just can't help myself.

It's Not Easy

So I was talking with one of my wonderful sister-in-laws awhile ago and she asked me how I was handling two kids. And I believe I said "it's easier", which was taken to mean that two was easier than one. Not so! How could it be!? What was I thinking? Well, I'll tell you. I was thinking that having a baby was easier this time compared to my first time. Mostly because I have somewhat of an idea of what to do and what to expect. Catering to the needs of two small children is demanding, tiring, crazy, and fulfilling. Not easy. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

 Shower?

I have been feeling a great need and desire to simplify and bring order to our lives. I have ideas in my head of what should be done but I really have a problem putting them into action. One thing that I think is crucial is that I set up a routine for our days, when do we go to the park, when do we have lunch and naps. That sort of thing. Of course we wouldn't have to stick to it every single day, but it would be comforting to have a "normal" to fall back on. So for the past two weeks I've been trying to figure out our routine. My hang-up? Shower time. When can I take a shower?! Is it okay to leave my 2 year old in front of the TV, and the baby sleeping in her crib? Honestly, I tried it once and after a 3 minute shower they were both screaming. Hmmm.

Alright, I suppose that's enough for now. I apologize if you were somewhat bored and/or confused by my randomness, but this has been quite refreshing for me!

Trip to the Zoo!

Some time last month we made it to the Toledo Zoo with some family. I confess, I was WAY excited! I just love seeing all the strange and amazing creatures that we live with. I was also excited to see my little guys' reaction to all the wonder. I was not disappointed! So cute!

There were seals in here, I promise!

He loved the train ride to see all the African animals.

Of course the kids stream was a big hit! As you can see I was paranoid that he would fall and I didn't have any extra clothes. My feet were very refreshed!

Todays Adventure

With Grandma Empie we went to the Ann Arbor Art Fair! I kicked myself for not bringing the camera, but found this image and pretty much that's what it looked like! We weren't looking for anything specific, just walking along with the crowds, catching glimpses of other peoples creative works. The weather was perfect, the corn dog I had for lunch was huge, and little John did really well (the bus ride back to the car was a little "iffy", but he had been sitting for so long that I can understand). Being there with so many people was kind of a cool experience for me. Anyone in our 'space-bubble' was so nice and understanding whenever we had stroller problems, or random items were being flung on the street by a certain boy. It's always uplifting to be around manKIND.

Camping

Nature is so beautiful! We went camping over the weekend (Friday-Saturday) with my brother and his family, and had a blast! We went to a nearby KOA, fully equipped with picnic tables, one lake for swimming, one lake for fishing and paddle boats, water slide, playground, access to toilets and showers, and mini-golf. Admittedly we were not within the whole throws of "nature", but spending such a large chunk of time outside was refreshing.
We did roast hot dogs and marshmallows over a fire, we did have tents, we did get a ton of mosquito bites, and sleeping at night was horribly uncomfortable-if not impossible. So I know we really were camping!


Lindsey and I wanted to spend more time in the water, but the kids had other plans. The playground was just too exciting. Little John is getting better at the walking thing and did his best to keep up with his cousin Nathan. I still swell up with joy when I see my little boy walking wherever he pleases!

We really had so much fun, especially being with family. We love you guys!