A Winter Return to Outside Downstairs

I finally decided that, after having to turn the kids down several times in their begging to play "outside downstairs" due to either sickness or fertilizer or lack of being able to find any darn closed-toe shoes and/or jackets in the maze of our house, we needed a designated "play outside" morning. I set it. Ben got a fever. With only rest, lots of liquids, herbs and vitamins, it was gone within a day. Take that. Moved our play date with our own property to the next day and went out and bought the kids "outside downstairs" shoes and - - get this - - sweatsuits just for that purpose.  Tired of worrying about their regular clothes getting all muddy and having no idea when I will do that next load of laundry! (Not because I'm lazy but because I sincerely have no idea what could happen to change my ability to do something as simple as load, start and switch out the laundry.  

Case in point - - I bought pants when I was in Utah at the beginning of November. The other day (we are at the end of December), I was putting away clothes that had sat in laundry baskets for "a while" (clean, mind you...at least when they sit they are usually clean and divided into everyone's baskets!) and came across the pants. Joy! I say to myself, forgetting that I had bought them and worn them on the plane ride home. Oh...I say to myself as I put them on and they are now too big. I missed a whole two months of being able to enjoy some wonderful pants. Then I get over it really fast and Joy! I say to myself again as I realize that this means I probably can start wearing some of the stuff I was wearing post-James/pre-Ben. 

I got way off-subject.

So, anyway, Ben started feeling totally better, we suited up and laced up some mud-welcoming shoes and enjoyed the afternoon as follows:

First order of business - - fill the much-neglected bird feeder. Bethany helps...

James helps...

Ben plays. "We have a playhouse???" he exclaims to himself...the backyard sure is a different place now that he can walk!

Then he helps too.

JC does the heavy lifting of the project because he is, as the kids say, "so strong." I watch my husband work. Because I can.

I also check out his huge and solid arms.

Because I can.

The kids swing. Looking at this picture, I can actually hear Ben's laugh!

James is more of a hesitant swinging participant.

There they go!

Bethany has enjoyed this same swing since she was about nine months old. Her first Christmas present from Santa!

Not sure what this face means but I thought it worth sharing.

The bird-feeder's new home. I got tired of what the birds left us all over the balcony as thanks for their food. It goes well here though.

The garden. Bethany looks at me funny when I call it that. No vision, my dear. No vision.

James finds something interesting in the grass...daddy's shoe? Not sure how it got there...

But he does appear to be in need of it. So, of course...James begins to run away with it. And I, as the ever-loving wife, stand there and take pictures.

He finally coaxes him back over.

And JC puts on his shoe. Suddenly, this story seems less worth sharing...oh well...

James loves to run around when we are outside. He always has some kind of game going in his head.

I love this tree in our backyard. I am working on a name for it because I want it to be with us forever. Feels like it should have a name. It is so large and friendly.

The trees that overlook the yard from the houses around us, aren't bad either. I love the variety and how we always have a green curtain on one side of our yard.

Ben, doing the traditional super-baby. I can't believe, sometimes, how trusting these little guys are. Imagine if you were being thrown up high by someone five times as tall as you...I don't think I would remain calm, let alone enjoy it, as they seem to.

JC doing his eyebrow thing. I like to capture it on film every once in a while.

While Daddy was busy making faces for the camera, little Ben fell down and got "bonks." (what the kids call when they bonk their head or other part of their body on something. It's like a specific kind of owie. It's like getting a scratch or getting a bruise. Getting bonks.)

During most of our time outside, James was, of course, holed up in the tower part of the playset with a few of his animals.

Bethany enjoyed most of the time on her swing.

And Ben grew very fond of the playhouse. Who could blame him? It's just his size.

He then discovered that most of our outside play balls had been tossed inside the playhouse one day so the grass could be cut. He spent a while bringing them all out to JC.

Fun times. I love being outdoors with them. It's a whole new world when you're so little and everything is so fresh and open. Let's hope we get more days like this, now that we have the proper outerwear. :)

But first I need to get the load of laundry done that has those sweatsuits in it...