Springtime in Phoenix

Let me start by saying: OH MY GOODNESS COULD MY KIDS BE ANY CUTER?!?

Now that that's out of my system I can tell you how the kids and I have been spending our spring. We've had some super hot days, but mornings and evenings are still great for playing at the many parks in our area or right in our own backyard. One of the kids' favorite activities is "water buckets", when I fill up our three large toy buckets with water and they play/sit in them. It is guaranteed to buy me at least 45 minutes of uninterrupted time. Another favorite is sidewalk chalk or paint (often followed by water buckets, for obvious reasons). The kids have decorated the entire cinder block wall on the west side of our house and often play school or art class there.

In late April we went in the pool for the first time. Or rather, the kids went in the pool and I laid in the sun, ready to jump in if needed. The water is still pretty cold, but it's refreshing for a quick dip on a hot afternoon. Layla swims like a fish and would stay in the pool all day. Weston is extremely tentative in the water, and gets nervous away from the steps even if I am holding him and he has his float pack on. Dylan doesn't understand enough to be afraid yet, and will jump in the pool at will. We have to keep a close eye on that one.

One day I woke up to find a swamp in our backyard. There was literally eight inches of water in some places. It turned out the auto-fill on our pool broke and it didn't shut off when the water reached the right level, so it continued to fill and spill out into the yard. It took roughly a week for the water to soak into the ground, during which time the kids took full advantage of it. At first I protested, but it actually looked like a lot of fun, so I let them loose out there every afternoon, and just stripped off their clothes before they came in the house and threw them in a warm bath before dinner. The most fun came when the water was gone and the fresh mud was plentiful. I found all three kids out there one day covered from head to toe. Layla and Weston were completely naked and Dylan had lost her pants. My initial reaction was to freak out and clean them up immediately, but they were giggling so much that I just let it ride. It's not like they were getting any dirtier. I can be pretty uptight at times, but I try to remember to relax and let my kids be kids. My mom is really good at that, and I find myself thinking of her when I'm more worried about keeping something (usually the kids or my house/car) clean than having fun. I realize that Grandma wouldn't care if they got in the wet sand at the park. She would smile and watch them play (and probably get in there and play with them), then strip them naked and throw them in the car, transferring them directly to the bathtub. And then take them to Chucky Cheeses. I don't remember if she was like this when I was a kid, but I sure appreciate her example now.

Dylan in a bucket.

Doesn't that look like fun?

Sidewalk (or baby) paint

Chillin' at Police Park

Spiderman, Spiderma, does whatever a spider can!

I finally organized our tool bench in the garage! I am very pleased.

Making s'mores on our camping night.

Mmm...

"Camping" in Weston's tent. These two really have fun together.

Pool time!

My little fish

She's not quite sure about the carousel.

Dylan and me at the train park

All aboard!

Mud!