When's The Last Time You Said Yes?

Last night, our area got hit with a lot of yucky storms, some of which even produced tornadoes.  Tater and I, along with the two pups, spent about 45 minutes of our night in the downstairs bathroom just in case a tornado decided to show up.  (Dave would have joined us, but he was at work.)  We played with cars and trains and then watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse to pass the time.  Thankfully, we were safe!



When we woke up this morning, the weather was beautiful.  I knew that Tater needed some outside time, but I figured that most of the parks were pretty wet from the storms.  I decided that we would go anyway and packed a towel and extra clothes for Tater. 

I was right about the park being wet.  It looked like a swimming pool.  Instead of putting Tater back into the car, I let him play.  I said yes to letting him be a kid.  I said yes to letting him have fun. 

He had a blast.  He was in puddle heaven.  I was a happy mommy, he was a happy kid. 

But you know what I noticed?  I was getting some nasty looks from other parents.  

How dare I let my son play in the puddles??? 

It's then that I realized that I'm that crazy mom.  I'm the mom that is okay with my son getting a little dirty in order to have fun and be a kid.  I'm the mom that knows that before long, he'll be grown up and no longer want to jump in the puddles.  I'm the mom that says yes to him being carefree and enjoying life.  I may not be the perfect mom, but I want to say yes to him experiencing the world around him. 

Yes, you can cover your whole body with shaving cream. 

 Yes, you can jump onto the couch cushions. 

 Yes, you can run through the puddles while it's still raining outside.

Yes, you can ride a big boy ride.

 Yes, you can help me make blue cupcakes.

 Yes, you can stay up past your bedtime to cuddle with your Great Grandma.

 Yes, you can ride in the wheelbarrow.

 Yes, you can pretend to go swimming in the sand.

 Yes, you can try on Papa's boots. 

Yes, you can sit in the cooler and play with the cloud dough.

 Yes, you can have a chocolate milkshake.

 Yes, you can run through the fountains and get drenched. 

 

So today, I rest while my freshly bathed buddy takes a nap after having a super fun morning and I smile knowing that I am saying yes and trying to let him live life to the fullest.  

When's the last time you said yes? 

Mother's Day Week

The week leading up to Mother's Day, we had what I call a free week.  We played and played without a theme or letter of the week.  The weather was beautiful so we spent a lot of time outside. We also worked on some special presents for some special ladies in our lives.  

It's nice sometimes to just play without a set purpose.  :) 

We read a ton of books. 



Tater's Nana got little chicks for the kids and we had fun taking care of them. 

 We had lots of pretend play.  J loves to pretend to be Tater's Mommy. 

 We love looking out the window and watching the trash trucks.

 Outside time!

 I found out the hard way that swim diapers, after being soaked with water, will not hold pee if the child goes to the bathroom. 

 B pretended to be a baby.

 Shaving cream fun. I told Tater he could put it on his belly.  Of course, that meant that his new mission was to coat his entire body with it. 

We played with bubbles.

 We painted on the driveway with water.

 J had quite a few bongo concerts that week.

 I took Tater's grill with us.  It was quite a hit.

 Tons of pretend phone conversations.

More outside time.  They LOVE it when I draw a road for their bikes. 

 Playing hard = Excellent naps

 We set up the sprinkler and had a bike wash. 

 Jumping in puddles is always fun.

Relaxing together outside.  You know they are getting sleepy when they end up sitting on my lap.

More playroom fun. 

 They had more pretend play where they were in a restaurant.  J was currently serving pizza. 

We played with playdough.

 Dave came to visit us one day.  The kids were thrilled to have him hang out with us.

 J's very important pretend phone call.

Yes, even I ride their bikes sometimes. 

Naps are the best.

Some of our Mother's Day creations. 

Flashback Friday