rainy.day.ideas

(photo circa 2009)

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you who sent me rainy day activity ideas. I think we're going to have lots to do this summer when it rains! :)

Outside (as long as there is no lightning):
-play in the rain
-jump in rain puddles
-walk in the rain with umbrellas
-make sidewalk paint and paint the sidewalk
-play on the covered deck

Inside:
-build tents on the furniture
-pretend camping
-books on CD
-read books (lots!)
-movie and popcorn
-bake something and eat it (cookies, cake, banana bread, pudding, pie, etc.)
-wii
-manicures/pedicures
-legos
-indoor picnic
-nerf gun freeze tag
-puzzles
-dress up
-tea parties
-any type of arts and crafts (paint, beads, paper mache, finger paint with pudding, etc.)
-act out simple stories
-puppet shows

Outings:
-library day
-bounce time at the new ice rink
-go out to lunch

thumb.sucker

Ladies and Gentlemen!!! {drumroll please} We've got ourselves a thumb sucker.

Or maybe fingers. Who knows. I seem to catch her slobbering up her digits on both hands these days.

3.months.old

Our little Olivia was 3 months old yesterday! Time is flying by already! Here's what she's doing:

-sleeping through the night
-smiling like crazy
-sucking on her thumbs/fingers/hands/fists
-cooing
-batting at her hanging toys
-eating, eating, eating

She loves to be held.
She loves the snuggli.
She loves to cry as soon as I put dinner on the table.
She loves her swing.
She loves it when people talk to her.
She doesn't like getting her clothes changed.
She doesn't like baths.
She doesn't like to be held a lot while you're sitting down. (We attribute this to the fact that we now have 4 children, and I rarely get to sit and rock with her except when I'm nursing.)

We absolutely adore her...all 5 of us! We love you, Olivia Noelle! :)

fun.with.googly.eyes

So what do you do when it's rainy outside? Play with googly-eyes, of course!!

Amelia was the funniest! We decided that pinching your eyes shut was the best method. {I could barely take pictures because I was laughing so hard!}

I asked my facebook friends, and now I'll ask you...what do you do for fun on rainy days? I'll post my finalized list soon!

watering.charlottes

When the girls go to Josh's parents' house in the summer, they usually get to help Grandma plant flowers, water flowers, or water the ferns.  Meredith came home the other day and was talking about how much they watered the hanging plants (until they spit water out the bottom of the container). 

She couldn't remember what they were called.  I reminded her...ferns.  (Insert immediate association with the movie "Charlotte's Web".  Fern is the little girl in the story.)

Later, she was telling me the story again about how she "just loved watering those...uh...Charlottes...with Grandma." 

Ferns. :)

rough.day

This picture pretty much sums up our entire day today. Other than our time at co-op, there were a lot of tears...by all of us (some...{cough}Amelia...more than others!).

Over the weekend, I was reading the book Steady Days (thank you, Myah!!) by Jamie Martin. She was saying that at the end of the day, it can be helpful to write down things that you're thankful for. It can give you a much more positive outlook on life, even in the midst of craziness. So here's my list:

Today, I'm thankful...
...that Josh will be home in about 30 minutes (he's been out of town since Wednesday).
...for the moms at co-op...today, especially Deanna and Danielle. I definitely needed to talk about random topics that didn't include cleaning the playroom in my house.
...for my sister because I know there will never come a day when she refuses to talk to me...especially because we debate such serious issues like floral delivery fees! :)

I feel just a little bit better already.  I'm also thankful that tomorrow is a new day.  Exhale.

sweetness.

I could just eat this baby up!!