Yestarday started out like any other weekend day: slept in until 7:30am (which is when Rachel wakes me up), got up, made breakfast, ate breakfast….wait, what is that noise? Why are the windows all wet? Oh wow! It’s raining!
I guess it didn’t really start out like any other weekend day after all.
Rachel the Writer
We stayed warm and dry inside playing in Rachel’s kiddie corral, me still warm in my jammies and Rachel still warm in the clothes she was wearing from the night before. She fell asleep in the car on the way home from her Daddy’s and I didn’t want to wake her, so she went right from the car to the bed. She spent some time drawing in the little notebook I gave her since she likes to draw so much, tried to reach the buttons on the tv, played with magnets on the fridge, had fun running after the kitties. Come noon she was exhausted! Rachel took her nap and while she slept I did the morning dishes and then got ready to take her out to search for puddles to jump in. When she got up I gave her a quick, warm lunch and dressed her in warm clothes, and then we went and ventured outside to see what we could see.
Searching for Puddles
Dressed in her warmest jacket and her all-weather boots, we ventured out into the chilly air in search of puddles. Even though it was around 2:30, pretty much the warmest time of the day, it was only in the mid-high 50’s. Warm weather anywhere else in the country, but really cold for southern California! It was absolutely beautiful, the sky was clear and the clouds that hadn’t dumped all their moisture had gone from dark and grey to light and fluffy, and slowly drifted across the sky. Heading off down the sidewalk, we stopped to look at the houses and watch the people. I had to run and catch Rachel’s hand before she petted the obviously unhealthy cat before it either scratched her or gave her fleas! I pulled her away while she looked back yelling, “Molly!”
The first puddle we came upon she actually just walked right through it without stopping. She saw stairs! Rachel enjoyed going up and down the stairs, and then came back to the puddle, but not to walk in it. She leaned over and looked at the little girl that lived in the puddle for a minute before trying to touch her.
Rachel picked me my first flower!
We continued around the block, Rachel thoroughly exploring her surroundings. Well, as thoroughly as I would let her. Rachel is very curious. She investigated the dirt protected by the yellow tape, then checked that the yellow tape was strong enough to withstand her leaning on it. She checked out the flower bed and picked her very first flower for me. She inspected the wooden door, checked to see if the grass on the other side of the fence was really greener, and checked her strength by trying to open a locked garage door. She did actually jump in the only other puddle we came across today. She walked through it, jumped in it, and laughed.
About 2/3 of the way around the block, Rachel decided she was done. She announced this by sitting down and refusing to move any further. We may have been just making our way around the block, but there was a lot of running, jumping, and climbing involved. She ran back to explore something she thought she missed before resuming our journey, and my poor little miss was tired! I picked her up and carried her the rest of the way back to our little apartment, her head resting on my shoulder and her little arms around my neck. Our little adventure was so much fun I was surprised to find out we had been gone for almost an hour!
The apartment was warm and inviting, and my tired little girl got busy playing with her toys upon our return while I prepared dinner. We had a good time exploring the neighborhood while looking for puddles. I always enjoy the screams of excitement, the ooh’s of wonder, and the delighted laughter my little explorer makes every time we go for a walk. I wonder what she’ll discover today….
