The last few days, we have seen torrential rains here in the Phoenix area. To our kids, rain means one thing: running around outside like wild animals until they are drenched through and through. Thunderstorms in the summer - great idea. In the winter when it's "cold" and windy - not so much. And by cold, I mean it's been in the 60s... At least nobody has gotten sick so far.
Not our park - but looks very similar
The park in our neighborhood always floods completely when we get a lot of rain. For years, I have been toying with the idea of letting the kids ride their kayak on the temporary "lake" that is usually the park. Maybe we will do that tomorrow. My main concern is safety. In my defense, there are no storm drains, I would only let the good swimmers go on the kayak, and I would make them wear a life jacket, - but still. Then again, they kayak on lakes and even rivers a lot in the summer, which are probably more dangerous than a shallow pool at the park. Then there is the aspect of sanitation - I certainly wouldn't want them to get IN that water. Technically, it is possible to go in a kayak without getting wet, but when Solomon tried to get into the kayak in our pool today, he promptly tumbled into the water. Even in January, he declared the water to be warm enough to start swimming for the season. Uhm - NO! Swim season means an extra towel load to wash and dry each day, something I am just not prepared for yet.
July 2012 - Wow, I can't believe how much Isaac has grown even just since then!
Another perfect activity for this kind of weather is making gigantic bubbles. Our humidity is typically too low to make these. Overcast skies, high humidity, and no rain or wind on the other hand produce perfect, huge bubbles. We are hoping to make these again tomorrow.
My Mom made this beautiful quilt for him
Baby Stephen turned 6 months old just a few days ago. Sigh! It's always so bittersweet. He said his first word yesterday! No, really, he did. I was in the kitchen, repeatedly calling for Isaac, with Stephen right near me. Suddenly, he crowed "I-a!", which is what all our kids call Isaac when they first start talking. It was so obvious, we all burst out laughing. Then he called him again, maybe because he liked our reaction?
When we were expecting Isaac, and Solomon was our only child, we were trying to pick a name that he would be able to say, so he could make friends with his little brother easier. Any name idea we had, we would have Solomon (who was only 16 months old at the time Isaac was born) try to say. "Isaac" was the only name he was able to pronounce. In fact, every single one of the kids has learned his name long before any of the other kids' names, something Isaac is really quite proud of.
She also sewed these adorable dresses for the girls. Anna is still not into having her picture taken.
Solomon has been playing the organ in church at every service for some time now. Both him and Isaac are taking piano lessons, and I am looking forward to the day when they will both be playing together in the same service, one on the organ and the other on the piano.
I have planned a whole bunch of field trips for the upcoming weeks, too many to list. Starting in one week, the oldest four will also be taking an art class for the next three months, something I think they will all enjoy. Besides all that, Solomon has shown great interest in learning sign language. A dear lady at our church gave him an instruction book, which he has been pouring over daily. I am hoping to find a course offered locally that we can attend together. For Isaac's birthday next month, I am thinking about signing him up for a 6-week archery class - he would be thrilled!
So much to do, so little time!
Other nights, I just want to keep them up and hang out with them way past their bedtime. Tonight was one of those nights. They are just growing up too fast, and there are never enough hours in a day to do everything I want to do with them.
So now it is well past 10 pm, and I have yet to start on dishes, laundry, and the like. My dishwasher broke right before Christmas, and although my wonderful husband has offered many times to replace it, I am just too cheap to take him up on it. I'll just wait until one pops up for free on freecycle. :)
Off I go. Have a great week, everyone!