Play-dough

So here's the thing I've learned this week. The "rainy season" is exactly that. R-a-i-n-y! Not rain like I've ever experienced before. I've experienced hard rains and a lot of rain, but I've never experience rain for such an extended period of time. It has rained seven days in a row. Yesterday there was a break in the action, but otherwise, it has rained from morning to night, overnight. There is a cold wind that blows. And it drizzles all day. It has rained so much that I finally gave up waiting for a break in the action to get Scrubby outside for exercise and agreed to let him play Frisbee in the rain and just give him a good wipe-down afterwards.

With this rain has come some new challenges. Firstly, like every family on Base, we are a one-car family. Normally JB takes the van into work. We like to do it this way so that he can come home during his lunch break (which is only one hour long). It is only about one mile from our house to the Clinic. But if he were to try and bike it or walk it, he wouldn't have much time with us when he made it home.

I don't mind this at all. I either walk, run, or bike everywhere with the boys. It works out great. Unless I need to go off-Base, which is rare, I very rarely need the van. But when it is raining, all of this changes. I have to take JB in in the morning, go get him for lunch, etc. It really cramps my style! All so that I have transportation for myself and the boys during the day.

Okay so all that really has nothing to do with play-dough.

Digression. My specialty.

We got the play-dough because, gosh darn it, we are having to be in the house a lot. One of the hard things about being on this Base is that you are very limited in activities you can participate in when the weather is bad. There just isn't anything to do with kids inside. It's quite slim-pickens. Normally this is okay for me. We go to parks and play in the backyard and frontyard all day long.

But with the weather so bad, we've had to find some new activities.

Play-dough is a good one.

Here's the funny thing. Isaac, asks many times a day to play with the play-dough. But he doesn't really want me to open it. He just likes to play with the cans and the "tools." Elijah, on the other hand, is thrilled with the play-dough and immediately digs in.

Play-dough is just another way that I see the differences in my boys. Tonight I attended a kick-off to a Spring Beth Moore Bible Study I am going to participate in. JB had the kiddos. He went to the store with them despite the pouring rain. On the way out of the store, he had to carry four bags and had each boy walking along side of him.

John painted a picture. Elijah giddy with laughter at the thought of jumping in puddles. Silly. Stomping. Loving the rain falling.

Isaac? Not so much. His conversation on the way to the van went something like this: "Daddy, I don't like this. I'm getting wet. I don't want to be in the rain. Daddy I don't like this. No rain. No wet." That sort of thing.

All right. More digression. I'll leave it at the fact that we are doing play-dough. It's quite popular and quite wonderful. Both boys have tried eating it and decided it tastes so vile that I am pretty sure they won't try again.

I continue to read my Toddler Activity Book and search for indoor activities. Your suggestions continue to be valued!

P.S. Happy birthday to my nephew Nathan!