Rain, Rain, Stay and Play

Today was a fun day. 

Not all of our days are all that fun or interesting.  Many of our days are spent doing the same routine on the same schedule that we always do.  For better or worse, I am a very organized and structured person.  Always have been and always will be.  For the most part, I think my personality is beneficial to my children.  I know that despite what they may think, my children actually thrive on and enjoy their routine.  They like knowing when things will happen and what is coming next.  If they don’t know, they will ask me.  Carter frequently asks me at night when I put him to bed what we will be doing the next day.  It gives him comfort to know what is coming next.

However, I also know that a little spontaneity and adventure is good in life, too.  It was a lot easier to be spontaneous before sweet Elisabeth arrived.  Poor Abbie and Carter have had to make more than a few adjustments upon her arrival in our family, including not being able to do some of the fun summer activities we might be doing had she not been with us.  I am so grateful to them for how well they have handles the adjustment and try to make it up to them whenever I can.

Today was one of those days.  The fun started with VBS in the morning.  It was yellow shirt day and the kids both had a blast.  After I picked them up from VBS, we met our friends, the O’Hairs, for lunch and play at Chick-Fil-A.  The kids are always begging me to eat inside and play instead of going through the drive-thru like we always do.  Today was the day they finally got to do it!  Despite knowing that it was going to be insanely chaotic and not at all a relaxing lunch for me, I did it because I knew how much fun they would have.  Just in our little group alone there were 2 five year olds, 2 three year olds, a 16 month old and a two month old.  Add our group to the ton of other kids there and the place was crazy, as Chick-Fil-A always is.  On top of that, Elisabeth was crying hysterically because she was hungry and I had made her wait until after we picked the kids up from VBS and got to CFA to eat.  Water in vases and chocolate milk was spilled, lunches were half eaten and kids were  running around the restaurant barefoot from the playground to the table, but all in all I would call our lunch adventure a success.  I know the kids had a blast and that was the point.

By the time we got home I was so excited knowing that three sleepy kids would be snuggled up in bed soon.  As we pulled in to the garage it started to pour down rain.  Last summer we were begging for any drop of rain and this summer it never seems to stop!  The kids were at the edge of the garage watching the rain.  I thought it was the perfect day to play in the rain.  I don’t think they really believed me that they could go out and play in it at first.  They both hesitantly walked out into the rain.  Abbie warmed up quickly and started having fun.  Carter was worried about his wet clothes and decided that no clothes were better than wet clothes.  Of course, once Carter took his off, Abbie was all to happy to take her clothes off as well.  I figured if you can’t play in the street, in the rain, in your underwear when you are a little kid, when can you?!?  Abbie and Carter had so much fun playing in the rain and splashing in the puddles, while sweet Elisabeth watched from her carseat in the shelter of the garage. 

After play time was over, the kids came in and dried off and snuggled up in bed to take rainy day naps.  It was one of those simple, but magical, days in the life of a little kid.  It was one of those days that makes being a mom so much fun!