There has been a whole string of warm-enough days lately, which has resulted in hours and hours of outdoor play! Mostly this means everybody goes nice and far from the house, so I don't really see what they're doing, and only see evidence by the mud caked on their various pairs of shoes. The mud room is really living up to its name!
They've also discovered a bunch of old tiles and cinderblocks though, which stay fairly close to the house because nobody really wants to cart those all the way down to the woods or the pond. Usually the kids make houses for Edith out of them, but the other day they set up a very elaborate tea party for dolls and stuffed animals, and it was adorable. Mary Claire came inside to get Edith and bring out as many stuffed animals as they could carry. Then she came back for apple slices, clementine slices, and a single carrot, arranging them artfully on a play kitchen platter. I went out to check on them, and she was hollering at anyone who tried to eat them before they were "fed" to the tea party guests... The snacks are only fair game after they are "eaten" first by the inanimate objects. As one does.
Mary Claire has been taking Lucy outside a lot for wagon rides and visits to the chickens, as well. It's GREAT but I have few pictures, because generally this means a few minutes of freedom for me to go to the bathroom/wash dishes/prep food, so I'm not about to cut into my limited baby-free time! Poor Lucy has so few pictures of her, but it's her own fault for being so darned clingy... We love her very much!
