Brings me such joy!

 Last week we had a couple days of wonderful weather (low 70s) and I happened to glance outside and see what I've always wanted to see: all three of my kids merrily playing using solely their imagination without needing me for inspiration! 
This horse hitching post is out toward the back of the yard behind one of our sheds. Brighton and Adaira were both playing on it - Owens version of monkey bars I guess :-) and Dale was playing nearby in a dirt mound. He saw me come out and take pictures of the older kids and so he immediately came and started climbing since he didn't want to be left out.

This picture shows the dirt mound Dale was playing on before he decided to venture up the fence panels... Is it strange that I love to see my kids playing in dirt?

Right after the play fun ended, I discovered a wasp nest underneath a stray asphalt shingle tile and some overgrown grass right beneath Dale's position on this fence. The trowel he was using to dig with dropped and landed on top of the shingle and then Dale wandered off to try and get into the chicken coop. About 5 minutes later, Brighton looked down and said "Wow, look at all those wasps!" and I looked to find about 5-6 wasps on the trowel. I told the kids to get away and I ran inside to get the bug spray. I killed the entire nest of about 24 of them. Kind of a freaky end to a joyous experience, I'm so glad none of the kids happened to disturb that nest when I wasn't around...

Adaira insisted on posing for her picture
Nice Kool-Aid mustache on Brighton here...
There were such vivid colors out there because the skies were just slightly overcast.

Look at that one-eyebrow raise!
It's hard to explain how wonderful I felt that day when I looked out and watched all three of them. The weather was great and there wasn't any fighting or use of modern toys, just pure imagination and dirt. Maybe it's because the whole reason I wanted a large lot was so my kids could play outside and not get bored with so much to explore, and with the long summer heat they hadn't played in the yard for more than a couple minutes in months! Maybe I was just happy that the weather was finally nice, or for once Brighton wasn't teasing Adaira and Dale wasn't eating something he shouldn't. Either way, it was a great day.

On a totally unrelated note, here is my 36 week belly, from last week... I think this may be the smallest I have ever carried. It will be interesting to see if I get another 9+ pounder or if this little girl will be my smallest.

Comments

Angie said…
I am so jealous of how small you are! You look so great!
Kids playing nice is a great feeling!
November can't come fast enough! We are totally excited to see you all!
10/14/2011 12:49:00 PM
Justin said…
Angie, sometimes I think you are the only person who reads our blog. It's nice to have all of your comments.
10/14/2011 10:51:00 PM
Carolyn said…
Hey--I read your blog, and I comment sometimes.:) Just so you know Audra, we didn't get that house. They had almost accepted our offer and had even had us sign an addemdum change on something, and then a CASH offer came in! We are still mourning the loss of that awesome neighborhood, and seeing your children out there playing doesn't help much. Thanks for all your advice though and I'm sure we'll find it....
10/15/2011 04:33:00 PM
Nuestra Familia said…
Miss you friend!! You look great. That was awesome when the weather got cooler. See ya soon
10/16/2011 10:11:00 PM
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