Day of Sunshine

The past week, it has rained every day.  When it hasn't rained, the clouds have loomed warning of the additional rain that would inevitably come.  We didn't get a lot of rain in the fall or winter, so I guess this is to make up for all of the rain we haven't gotten over the past six months.  In the past 7 days, it's rained so much that our back yard is a soggy mess.  There is one spot in particular that we've dubbed "the mud pit" because of the 3 inches of mud water that fill it.  Naturally, Tripper loves the mud pit.  If we don't watch him the entire time he is outside, he sneaks over to it and starts to play.  His white legs becomes brown with dirt.  He's up to 4 full baths in the past week and even more "foot spas" than that.  

So, when I woke up this morning and saw sunshine, I thought it had to be noon.  It was 6 am.  The 7 days of dark overcast skies had almost made me forget what it looked like to have the sun rise in a clear sky.  The dogs and children have been stir crazy from being in the house all week, so today we took full advantage of the clear skies.  We spent a large portion of the afternoon at the park.  While we were there, I let the kids take pictures, and then I snapped a few as well.  They did a great job!  The lighting was great because of the sunshine, and the kids were enjoying capturing the many different aspects of our day.  So, here's the bit reveal!

Here are some of my favorites from Audrey's shots.  

Barrett had some good photos, and he was also really into selfies.

It was a fun day, and now I am ready for spring!

Time to Skate

Yesterday, one of Barrett's friends had a birthday party.  They rented out the ice rink and invited the friends, siblings, and parents to all join in the skating.  It was a lot of fun, and Fletcher got to attempt ice skating for the first time.  We thought he'd love it, because last weekend he decided he wanted to wear Barrett's hockey pads when we were getting them ready to put in the washer.  We pulled out some old pads and let him play.  The only way we got him to take the pads off was by bribing him with food. 

He wasn't really a fan, and the rink we were at didn't have buckets or "walkers" to help kids keep their balance.  It was fun to watch him, but not as much fun to "help" him since we basically had to hold him up so he didn't fall.

I also discovered that my eldest son is now a much better skater than I am.  We raced around the rink a number of times, and only once did I beat him.  He does really well until he has to stop.  I managed to avoid getting run into by him, but he plowed Audrey down pretty hard at one point. 

The interesting thing was that Audrey, now that her brother can skate much better than her, didn't have as much interest in skating as she has in the past.  It may also have been that Barrett knew all of the other kids and she didn't.  She only skated for part of the time, and then watched Fletcher while Billy and I skated with Barrett.  She is definitely becoming our built in baby-sitter, although I try to be careful not to abuse that and make sure she has time to play.  

All in all, it was a lot of fun, and I can't wait to get the whole family out on the ice again!

Father Daughter Dance

This evening was the annual Father-Daughter Dance that the PTO at our kids' school puts on.  This is the third year that Billy took Audrey (her kindergarten year, we didn't buy tickets quickly enough, but now we know).  As usual, she came home full of energy and excited to tell me all about the music, crafts, and friends she saw.  We have a tradition of taking a photo in front of the fireplace before they leave.  As I was snapping the photo this year, it dawned on me just how much Audrey has grown.  She has such long legs and is starting to carry herself more like a young woman than a little girl.  It is both exciting and terrifying at the same time.  I had to go back and look at photos from the previous years.  Ironically, Audrey has worn the same sweater over her dress all three years.

First grade:  The sleeves on the sweater are rolled up because it was way too big.

Second grade:  The sweater definitely looks a bit big. I also must have been warm if she didn't wear tights!

Third grade:  The sweater finally fits her perfectly.

You can also see that Audrey is getting taller when you look at where the top of her head is in comparison to the fireplace mantel.  I am so thankful her school does a fun event like this and that her daddy likes taking his little girl on dates!