Monday, June 23, 2008

I Got Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

It has been raining.... and raining... and raining for days now.

And not just calm, peaceful rain showers where you can go outside with the kids, splash in the puddles, and enjoy watching God water His thirsty creation.

No, no.

Florida rain showers are different. Much different.

It seems that whenever God decides to water His creation in Florida, His omnipotence is revealed for all to see.

Clouds as dark as the night sky.

Enormous gusts of wind.

Blinding flashes of lightning.

Thunder so loud you can feel it reverberating in your body.

Wild, thick, pounding sheets of rain that pour from the sky like a fire hose. (and don't even think about driving in it!)

Reptiles and amphibians so numerous it could rival Old Testament plagues decide to venture out of their hiding places and fill your yard, your pool, and even your house, if you are not careful to secure the premises. And even then, some still manage to make their way in (i.e: let me refer you to our interesting experience a few weeks ago in A Bump in the Night).

No. When there is a storm a-brewin' in Florida, one thing is certain: get comfortable because chances are, you won't be going out for awhile.

Although, strangely enough, usually about 10 minutes in, it will end just as fast as it began (sun out, birds chirping, plague over, critters hiding, etc).

Unfortunately for us, however, just as we get shoes on the kids and get them out the door to play in the backyard (before they give us a nervous breakdown), another storm usually blows in, just as ominous and foreboding, and the kids are forced to come running, screaming and dripping wet back into the house (to complete their task at giving us that nervous breakdown).

Despite our uncontrollable atmospheric conditions, and despite the fact that the kids were trapped in the house for days on end, we still managed to use our stormy lemons to make lemonade...

We decided to let the kids get out the finger paints. This was a big deal for me, since I do not like the mess it always makes. I mean, I really don't like it.

Nevertheless, I decided that I preferred for their little minds to be occupied in order for me to prevent my mind from completely shutting down. A little mess was worth keeping my mind intact. Besides, Sweet Baby H had never seen finger paints, so it would be nice to watch her experience something new.

So, I finally said "yes" to their cute little begging faces (which happens quite a lot by the way). I also utilized a wonderful new tool that made the whole experience a whole lot better! I used Glad Press N' Seal wrap and was able to completely seal the table with it! There was no mess! (well, let me rephrase that. there was no mess on the table. the kids were another story).

I have included some pics to show you what I mean...


See... it starts out innocent enough.



Everyone seems to be having a good time.





Is it just me, or does she look extremely malnourished in this pic? She does eat, I promise!

Even Sweet Baby H loved squishing the paints in her fingers.


until...


she started eating the finger paints.


She didn't really like that too much.



Eventually (as you can see) she'd had quite enough of the finger paints.
Have I mentioned she does not like to be dirty?



So Daddy and B decided they would try to look like her so she wouldn't feel so bad.
It didn't work.


So we cleaned her all up...

And then she was my sweet, happy Baby H once again!

All that finger painting excitement proved too much for Daddy, B, and H, who decided to take a very long nap. And while I absolutely love a good lazy nap on a rainy day, we still had another child who, unlike the rest of us, likens a nap to eating her broccoli. So, instead of giving in to temptation, I chose to do some much-needed big girl bonding time with my beautiful 7 year old daughter.

But, with everyone sleeping peacefully, requiring us to be very quiet, me and R were left wondering what to do next.

We finally decided on... Bingo... a favorite pastime among Floridians (well, the older crowd, anyway). I am not such a big fan of the game, myself. But I recently purchased a different version of the game to assist when I am homeschooling the kids. It is Telling Time Bingo. I draw a card that has a clock face on it with a time and we have to figure out if we have that time on our bingo card, etc. The kids absolutely love this game! They ask to play it all the time. I haven't told them yet that it is actually school, for fear that they will stop wanting to play (and learn to tell time).

Anyway, I had a wonderfully quiet, peaceful few hours of big girl bonding time with R. We talked about life, laughed about nonsensical things, played tickle wars, snuggled on the couch with a book, and genuinely enjoyed each others company.

For a blessed few hours, we hadn't a care in the world. In those few precious moments, there was no scary storm brewing outside. There was no laundry to be folded, no beds to be made, no dinner to be cooked, or dishes to wash. There were no thoughts of Daddy not having a job, or of us not having our own house to live in, or worries about where we would get some money to buy groceries next week.

No.

The only thing that existed in those cherished and coveted moments - the only thing that mattered - was a brilliant, beautiful, sweet, innocent little girl... and the mommy who loves her more than her own life, who wouldn't dream of being anywhere else.

8 comments:

kirsten said...

go ahead...rub it in, no laundry...? what crazy world do you live in anyway? and, can i move in?

glad you are able to stop and enjoy.

:)

RichFam said...

Ha ha. Nice try, Kirsten. I said in those moments there was no laundry...

as soon as everyone woke up, reality set in again.

a world with no laundry? Sounds like Heaven to me!

Ha ha :o)

Bronie said...

good for you for enjoying the moment. sometimes 'life' gets in the way of doing that and then the time has slipped away. praying for you guys and j's job situation. btw, we had those same random summer afternoon storms in LA...reptiles and all. :)

The growing Adkinson family said...

Sounds like you guys had fun. FInger paints are always a messy one. Do you find it hard to bond with R I feel like the older Bailee gets the more she wants to be on her own do things all by herself and she is only 4. Your kids are so cute. I think its funny Jay had to get in on the finger painting too. These men are just big kids arent they?

RichFam said...

Ape,

I wouldn't say I have trouble bonding with R. She is a little miniature me if I ever saw one and she knows it! So, in that respect, we can sometimes butt heads a bit. But mostly, we don't get much opportunity to be with only each other because we are each too busy with our other obligations. We tried to get out with each other once in a while (go to a movie, just us, etc) but with J not having a job for the past few months, that has been put on hold. So, when we were able to spend time alone together that rainy afternoon, we both realized how much we missed spending time together. :o)

The growing Adkinson family said...

I agree it is very hard to get one on one with them, I dont do it as much as I need to. Bailee always enjoys it when we do get that chance as well. SHe is more of a daddies girl. I think its bc I have to put so much time into bella.

Misty Burns said...

alright are trying to do some freelance work for hallmark cards or something??? geesh!!! bring on the kleenex why dont ya. hahaha. that is a sweet story! btw, when you go to your template under the customize section..you click on "add a new page element" and it will have "blog list new" just follow the prompts. i guess those directions are about as clear as mud. hahaha.

Misty Burns said...

oh, i also wanted to say...Here in the great state of Louisiana...we have things (bugs, reptiles, ect..) that i think have not even been identified by scientist yet. and for some reason they all want to stop by my house!!!!!