Spring Heatwave

Usually, April is a cool, wet month for us here in Seattle. This week was the antithesis of that traditional weather. We had HOT weather... I'm talking record-breaking weather multiple days in a row. We hit 91 degrees on Monday... IN APRIL!!! (Right ... global warming is a myth!)

Annika and Conor LOVED the premature heat and gleefully donned their swimsuits and took to playing in the backyard sprinkler. They giggled, splashed, jumped, played with squirt guns, slung mud, and cooled off with true childhood verve.

When the sun began to set and we called the kids inside, we were greeted with a chorus of "Ahhh!!! So soon?? Not yet!!" (Mind you, we weren't rushing them in and out of the sprinkler. They'd been outside for probably an hour and a half!)

Conor enjoying the sprinkler

I guess he can't be considered a hot head anymore!

Buca even got in on the sprinkler action!

Annika easing in to the water

Conor's new sport: sprinkler skateboarding

Annika flying through the water

Future Olympic sport: sprinkler sprinting

"Wow! Cold water!"

And now time for the squirt guns
(amazingly, the camera and I escaped  unscathed!)

Hot Sun, Almost Summer in the City

We've hit a bit of a heat wave here in Seattle. For those of you familiar with Seattle's typical June weather, hitting 85 degrees on June 7th is practically unheard of. It is bloomin' hot here!

To combat the heat a bit, we pulled out the sprinkler that Eric made last summer (impressed that he MADE a sprinkler? Yeah... so am I!) and let the kids continue their water time after their swim lessons this afternoon.

They had a marvelous time and beat the heat a bit... talk about a win!

White Stuff

We Seattle residents tend to be very skeptical when the weather forecasters predict snow for our area. We've been burned too many times to have much faith in the fluffy white stuff actually visiting our neck of the woods.

When we were at Eric's parents' house for Thanksgiving (that blog post is still pending... sorry for the delay), we heard that we might get snow. Naturally, Annika and Conor were thrilled about the news. Eric and I tried as much as we could to let the kids down easy and explain that it is very hard to predict the weather for our area because of so many factors... two mountain ranges, nearby saltwater, wind from Canada and the Pacific, convergence zones galore, etc. Of course, we didn't want to crush their childhood optimism (we'll let the weatherman do that), but wanted to warn them as kindly as possible that the reality was snow probably wouldn't happen.

OF COURSE, Mother Nature had to prove to our children that their parents have no clue what they're talking about.

Saturday morning, we awoke to a lovely blanket of the predicted snow, and the kiddos could hardly wait to get out into it. Understanding the pattern of quick snow, quick melt that we often have, we understood their excitement and didn't do much of "not quite now" dissuading. We did, however, (being the cruel parents that we are) require them to get out of their PJs and put on proper snow attire before going out to play. (I know, we are jerks through and through.) ;)

The snow was really dry... not at all good for snowballs, but that didn't stop the kids from having a marvelous time throwing it at each other, making snow angels, eating it (much to their mother's chagrin), and running around like the crazy people they are known to be. Shockingly, our cold snap lasted a few days and we still have a few spots of snow on roofs and in shadowy patches of yards around the neighborhood. Not enough to play in, but enough to make things look pretty.

How does the snow taste, Conor?

Why do we bother buying groceries? Our kids obviously prefer eating snow!

Conor making it snow

Snow angels

Annika making it snow

Gotcha!

Mr. Peek-a-boo

Annika throwing a snowball at me

Wet Summer Day

We here in Western WA know that we aren't made of sugar and the rain won't melt us. After a rather long spell without notable rain, we are rejoicing a bit to have our plants watered by nature! As soon as Conor saw the rain, he scrambled to don his clothes, boots, and jacket so he could make the most out of all the puddles on our driveway.

SPLASH!

Whoa! Good one!

Sploosh!

Wheee!

Soaked in Seattle

Originally, I thought of calling this post "Soggy in Seattle", but that didn't accurately convey how wet it has been around here lately. We have gotten hammered with rain storms over the past few days.... and the passes have gotten enough snow to make the skiers and snowboarders cheer with joy. (Snoqualmie Pass got 30 inches of new snow this weekend... crazy!!)

During a break in the weather, my mom and I decided to take the kids to Bitterlake Park to burn off some of their "we've been stuck inside for too many days and are about ready to start climbing the walls" energy. (Back story: Eric went to VA for 5 days to visit his brother, who at the end of last year, moved from Eastern WA to VA thanks to a promotion at work. Eric was supposed to fly out last Thursday, but a storm on the East Coast caused Dulles Airport to close... hence, cancelling Eric's flight. So, he rescheduled his travel and departed on Saturday instead. To keep me company and lend a hand get a grandchildren fix, my mom came up for a few days.

And now, getting back to our regularly scheduled program...

We took the kids to Bitterlake to burn off said "we've had a lot of rain" energey. They had a great time playing on the various pieces of climbing equipment, but the massive rain left many pieces of the play structures quite slippery... and the slides were boasting rather impressive puddles at their bases. I decided that pants could dry, so what was the harm in a little water getting on the kids, really? (Little did I know what was in our near future...)

Annika flying high

Conor having fun

"Look at me, Mama!"

Nana (aka Nanook of the North)

Annika in "jail"

Conor, the fellow jailbird

Annika running laps... sort of

"Help!! Unstuck me!!"
(Yes, I did help him, but not after snapping a few quick photos to capture the moment.
What're you missing here is the flapping of his hands and free foot. Now don't go calling CPS
quite yet... he was all of 2 inches off of the ground and in no danger at any point.)

After the second or third fall on the slippery equipment, that "protect your young, you dope" instinct kicked in and I was struck with the idea of having the kids run around on the massive lawns and ball fields instead of risking life, limb, and concussion in the playground. I challenged the kids to run hither and thither and they happily (and repeatedly) complied... especially when running through a group of birds was possible. (I'm sure the Canada geese were ready to call their union due to our children.... but decided to fly away after chasing Annika in return did little to change her idea of entertainment.)

At one point during the "hey kids -- run over there" game, Annika and Conor discovered the world's largest puddle. (It was so big, they called it a pool until I corrected them... even then, they weren't sure it wasn't a pool...)

They had a marvelous time splashing, wading, and making general merriment in the pool puddle. Even after Conor took a header smack dab into the water, they continued to show off their love of water and splashing. After a few more splashes and subsequently realizing they were, indeed, getting cold, we ushered them to my van so we could get home ricky-tick to get them in a warm bath. 

My plan of burning off their excess energy worked! Both kids wound up napping that day. Bonus!!!

Annika and Conor in the puddle

Run, kiddos, run!

Impact in 3 - 2- 1

Impact

And, spit

Big sister lending a helping hand

"Conor, we're leaving now!! Out of the puddle!"