Saturday, October 3, 2015

Autumn Adventures: Stomping and Splashing in the Rain

It rained recently, after not raining much for the past month or more. It was a gentle, steady rain, and exactly what we needed. I was thrilled that our brown patches of straw grass might have a chance at revival. Mr. I. and Mr. L. were equally excited about the rain.  No, they don't have an early interest in gardening....they were thrilled to be able to wear their raincoats and rain boots to school!


Title pic: Boys splashing in a puddle in rain coat and rain boots.  Text: Autumn Adventures: Stomping and Splashing in the Rain

Anything that makes the morning routine smoother is a huge bonus, so not having to argue over putting on socks and shoes was great.  However, as the day wore on and our scattered showers turned into all day showers, my enthusiasm waned.  We visit the playground almost daily to get the wiggles out before dinner and wind down time.  With everything soaked, we were going to need a really good backup plan to avoid the witching hour!

After talking with my husband, it was decided that dinner at a local fast food restaurant would be a good choice.  With some healthier-ish options on the menu, and an indoor playground to run off the wiggles it was a good treat for our rainy day.

Dinner was nothing eventful, but definitely enjoyed.  However, as soon as Mr. L. got out of the car at home, I knew we weren't finished with our wiggles just yet.

"Jump puddle" he insisted sweetly.  Looking at his hopeful face, and realizing that we were probably in our last day of warmth for quite some time, I nodded. He excitedly jumped in a tiny spot of water on the garage floor before heading down the driveway to a more appropriate splashing puddle.  Mr. I. followed without an ounce of hesitation.

Boys splashing in puddles wearing rain coats and rain boots

They played happily for quite some time....until Mr. L.  jumped a little too big and totally missed landing on his feet.  Wet but unhurt, he sat in the puddle unwilling to get up and refusing help from his big brother.  Mommy to the rescue!  This was the end of our time enjoying the puddles, as we all needed to dry off, and it was definitely time for bed.  Reluctantly, both boys followed me into the house to start our nighttime routine.

Boy wearing a rain coat and rain boots lands in puddle with a big splah

My lesson from all of this?  It's OK to have spontaneous activities. It's OK to veer away from the schedule set in my head.  It's OK to get a little wet and messy.  It's OK!  The smiles and the memories from that 10 minutes of change are more than worth anything that would have happened in that time had I forced them inside where it was warm and dry.


What is your favorite way to enjoy a warm, rainy day?

12 comments:

  1. Awe! So cute! We also jumped in puddles this week. Everything was great until our toddler decided she's like to be nude from the waist down...and so ended out puddle jumping good time. Thanks for sharing at Raising Samuels blog hop.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh my! That might've ended up with some memorable stories if play time hadn't ended. Toddlers have a way of turning any situation into a memorable story! Thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
  2. Cute! Why as moms do we "hesitate" to let our kids have those "spontaneous" moments of fun. If its not on the "plan", it stresses mom. Yet, the puddle jumping is likely the event they recall most fondly for that week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Isn't it true?! I am guilty of exactly that all too often, but trying to focus more and more on what the memorable take-away will be. Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  3. Congratulations! You were the Featured Post this last week for #SocialButterflySunday! Thanks for linking up and hope you link up again soon :) http://raisingsamuels.blogspot.com/2015/10/social-butterfly-sunday-19.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by with such great news; I'm honored to receive your spotlight!

      Delete
  4. This is so fun! I sometimes let my daughter go play in the rain!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This was definitely a stretch for me, but well worth it! Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  5. This is something we have never done and your post really makes me want to. It really is about enjoying this little moments. Sometimes the simple fun is always the best.

    Thanks for linking up with Small Steps Amazing Achievements :0)
    x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This was totally out of my norm, and out of my comfort zone, but SO worth it. I totally encourage you to give it a try! The fact that it was so warm was a big factor in my saying yes. And the both LOVED it - even when Mr. L. jumped a bit too big and fell on his bum, there were no tears! Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  6. We all need to be reminded regularly to stop and smell the roses, jump in puddles and be spontaneous! It's the little moments that we need to treasure. Thank you for this, I'm going to try and find more of these myself.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Absolutely! This was way out of my normal comfort zone, but I'm trying to let things like this happen more and more for the sake of the good things that come of it. Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete