Patricia has come and gone and finally my kids are free to be outside again. As far as hurricanes go, Patricia was a nice introduction. The fact she was technically no longer a hurricane is of small matter. She really cramped our style for 2 whole days. Luckily, we were actually paying attention to the weather and postponed our extensive Halloween decorating.
For nearly a month, the kids have been outside as much as sunlight would allow (and schoolwork...it is hard to get schoolwork accomplished when the baseball diamond is calling you). But, our deck does provide an excellent venue for art class on the rare occasion that art class is held. We did a nice little activity of drawing with a white crayon and then painting over it with watercolors. Let's just say I blew Will's mind a bit.
Molly and John continue to impress me with their ability to find activities to occupy themselves with. This last right up until I take it for granted...and then they seem to need my constant attention. In all fairness, John was sick for nearly two weeks. Poor guy! But, now he is back to his old happy self. It was a scary realization we had not heard him giggle in 10 days. Those viruses can really knock you out.
I finally got around to going through a couple of sterlites full of baby clothes to consign or donate. Molly picked out several new outfits for Penny and even found a dress I had neglected to realize was just her size. She and Penny had a dress-up day because they could.
John has discovered the Marble Works and loves it! Instead of the sounds of beeps and boops from electronic devices, we will hear the sounds of marbles rolling down an intricate roller coaster. And inevitably the crash of the intricate roller coaster. But, it is a lot easier, quicker, and cheaper to replace the roller coaster than to replace an electronic device that has experienced a similar crash.
In history and, coincidentally, the Lego Club, the boys learned about The Great Wall of China. Much like the men of Ancient China, all toys were drafted into the building of our own miniature version. Will was quite particular of the placement of the soldiers on the lookout for Mongols.
Another Marble Run. It's my blog, so I can post as many pics of Marble Runs as I want...right? I also really enjoyed building these. It beats washing dishes and folding clothes, anyway. Two other tasks that one has to do over and over again.
Aside from these activities, the boys have been playing baseball in our backyard. Dom dug out a slightly undersized Reds baseball jersey and was loving it. He also is constantly in his Royals' baseball cap. We do ask that he remove it for dinner and church.
Another Marble Run. What?
Most of the month has been spent outdoors. We have a little fan club next door. You cannot hear it, but John was excitedly telling our neighbors "Hi!" Over and over again. John also likes to say: "Hello". I love it. Call us sometime and I will get him to perform for you!
But, as I was saying, the boys have been playing a lot of baseball in our backyard. I love backyards. Even the sandpit that ours has become. One day we were watching them struggle to keep track of the score. As Eric had already made a strike zone, I thought he might also be up to making a scoreboard. Like a real one. But, he told me to just use the fence...so I did. Now we have several games' results up. Patricia couldn't wash them away.
I've loved watching the kids play every day. As soon as school is out our neighbor comes over and plays, too. Dom had a bit of a dream come true the other night at our Oktoberfest when a couple other kids joined in the game. One on one baseball is pretty tricky. Both Dom and Will are convinced they want to play in the spring. We'll see. Basketball season is just a couple of weeks away.
But, for now, Go Royals! And making memories in the backyard.
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