May 25

Initially Chris and I wanted to do something fun this Memorial Day. We discussed strawberry picking and visiting a new park, but then we realized that the holiday would be better spent working on Caleb and Daisy's closet. 

While I played with the kids, Chris spent the morning painting the closet, then went up to the roof to clean our gutters, then came back to put a second coat of paint on the closet. While Daisy napped, we began assembling the closet organizer. It was a lot more time-consuming than we expected, but by bedtime the center column was installed, including the three drawers I assembled. We still need to get three hanging rods trimmed to size and get two boards cut down to six small boards, and then we can complete the installation. So it's maybe 75% complete? I'm really excited at our progress, though, and I think it is a worthwhile investment of our time and money considering the fact that this room will likely be a shared bedroom for many, many years. 

Eli kept us company for a little of the work:

Daisy's new bed is like a really cozy cave. It's quite wonderful!

After a delicious dinner, the kids really wanted to go to the neighborhood pool. But Chris and I needed to finish things up, and it was getting chilly, so we said no.  The kids were disappointed, until I suggested a compromise: the sprinkler. 

They were pumped.

We have a sweet setup for sprinkler play, and the favorite activity is "Water Slide".

You know, put the sprinkler near the slide? It's pretty awesome.

Last summer, Lily didn't really participate much in the water sliding. At least, I think she must not have, because today she seemed totally unfamiliar with what was happening. It was so fun to watch her face, which danced between delighted, concerned, surprised, tickled... all within ten seconds!

Here's the kids, doing what they do. Daisy going down the wet slide, Caleb running around to the ladder for his turn, and Lily not quite sure what to do.

I love the look on Lily's face in the picture above. She is just about to feel brave enough to let the water spray her.

There! She did it!

And again!

Daisy had a whole system for going down the slide. Normally the kids get going so fast that they shoot off the bottom of the slide and land on their bottoms. But her goal was to land on her feet and end with a gymnast's flourish. It was hilarious, and her focus was awesome.

Meanwhile, Eli lay on his playmat in the shade, chewing on his hands. It's hard work being a baby.

Daisy prepared for her slide,

Shot off, and stuck the landing!

(Also, I totally chuckled about this picture because it looks like her water just  broke.)

Lily desperately wanted to play the game the big kids were playing, but she wasn't sure if she was brave enough.

Want to see some video? Of course you do! It's just a minute and a half of my children playing and squealing with laughter. (Spoiler: Lily goes down the slide at the end.)