Imagine a group of SIX normal, rambunctious 2-3 year olds. They barely talk, some only babble. They're all in the MINE MINE MINE phase. On top of that, half of the kids come from homes where Spanish is the main language. (I don't speak a word of Spanish.) Oh, and throw in a new baby who whenever you stop to feed her, the kids literally tear apart the house. Or who just learned to crawl (more on that later) and now goes after every little toy the big kids toss around.
It's not that kids are even that bad; they're all just normal 2-3 year olds. I'm just terrible at keeping them occupied without descending into utter chaos. Lately, I've been struggling to keep Jude entertained, and adding 5 more kids... Let's just say there's a reason I taught HIGH SCHOOL and not little kids.
Ahhhhhh.... but I SURVIVED. Hooray! I only have to make it till June and then I will never make the mistake of joining a giant playgroup of two year olds again. I'm not totally opposed to playgroups in general; I just know that if I ever agree to one again the kids will have to be older and the group will have to be much smaller. I don't mind watching other people's kids at all; I just don't want 6 of them at once!
Luckily, this rainy day turned around after nap time. The kids and I went to the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo, which is perfect for a rainy day. It's a small place and it wasn't crowded at all, so I could easily keep both kids entertained, even when Ellie played in the baby section and Jude ran from thing to thing. The "zoo" part is basically some ducks, a rabbit, raccoons, and birds, but hey, Jude still loved it. Oh, and a giant glass box of cockroaches. At least the hedgehog was cute!
Crazy hair after running to the car in the downpour
Of course, it was pouring when we pulled into the garage. So we had to run all the way to the house, trying to avoid getting too soaked. Ellie went down for a nap right away and Jude wanted to stay outside. So I put on some rain coats and boots and let him run and splash for awhile. It was hilarious to watch him get crazier and crazier. At first he stood under the umbrella, then he stood out in the middle of the courtyard, then he started running through the puddles. By the end he was standing under the eaves right where it makes like a waterfall (if that makes sense). Even the choo choo trains went in the puddles. Jude was completely soaked, but happy as can be.
I'm glad the rainy day ended on such a fun and happy note. We are so grateful for the rain! We know Heavenly Father answered our prayers for much needed rain in California. And I know Jude is so grateful He gave us such a fun afternoon enjoying it!
remember tasting the rain for the first time?
(this post needed more cute Ellie Ellie)
Love the rainy day pictures. I didn't like play groups either when Peter was little, but found a mother with 2 kids close to Peter's age and were well behaved and we traded every week for a few hours. It was amazing how much I could get done in a few hours without kids.
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