Since we talk about our lack of grass and how sandy it is a little too often, Toby cleverly came up with this play on words during dinner one evening: San"d" Francisco.
One thing is for sure: if the kids play outside anywhere = bath time! Can't get away with skipping that nighttime routine too often.
The imaginations God has given these children never ceases to amaze me! Who needs toys? Give them some sticks and sand or dirt, maybe a tree and some kitchen utensils, and they are ecstatic. For hours they draw, swing, make things, run around or just roll in the dirt outside. Today they were all mixing up something delectable (I'm sure!) by our front fence.
Thanks again for keeping us up to date. This reminds me of playing in my youth. Our side yard was similar to the area near your gate and we also enjoyed building wonderful special houses and preparing wonderful dishes to share in the sand there (and the ring around the bathtub appeared each time we used it). Your children are learning to play and interact with each other, and enjoy themselves without having to "log on", or play a game with buttons and keys. What a blessing that is. Good Lord willing they are building wonderful memories, and sharing adventures that they will have for a lifetime. Your work is also a blessing to those around you there. Our love to you all, our thoughts and prayers are with you. David
ReplyDeleteWhat fun sand can be!! Congrats to Toby on renaming your town! So clever! What creative kids the Lord has blessed you with! I sympathize with you Sarah when clean up time comes after all the fun. Thanks for the great photos! Love & prayers, Milly
ReplyDeleteYesterday I had two extra kiddos for the day. It was finally a day of beautiful weather, and all four little ones played in our back yard for almost 3 hours. I had two ride-on trucks, a couple of balls, and a few pieces of chalk to offer them, and they were happy, happy kids. They made a (rock) "garden" in the back corner, a fort under a hemlock tree, threw pine cones in mud puddles, crawled in the cold dirt, and tasted twigs and snow (I think only Lewis did that...). I realized later that there hadn't been a single squabble. Remarkable! Wonderful! There's just something about Outside that can't be replaced.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I don't usually experience sadness or nostalgia when considering how fast my kids are growing (I think all their stages are pretty great). But something about seeing just how big your kids are getting is making me choke up a little. I mean, Eli? He's going to be a man one of these days before long! Toby's riding this enormous bike! Sammy's going to be building homes out of real bricks for people who've never had such a wonderful place to call home before, and somebody's gonna go and fall in love with her. Oh goodness. They're beautiful!
ReplyDelete