Backyard Fun in the Sun

Well, my first week of maternity leave has turned out to be absolutely gorgeous--sunny, and in the mid-80s. It's a bit warm for me at times, but Andrea loves it. So, of course, we've taken advantage of our time off together to enjoy our backyard. It's a bit more fun this year, because Andrea can run around and explore on her own now. But that also means we have to find things to keep her amused out there.

Daddy was driving home from the store on Sunday, and he saw someone has two free kiddie pools out at the road. It's funny, we were actually going to buy a hard plastic one that afternoon, but he got 2 for free! Well, actually, I think one was a sandbox, but I scrubbed them both out, and they work just fine. Sure, they're a bit weather-beaten, but they're solid and they don't leak, which is more than I can say for those annoying inflatable pools we got last year!

The water was a bit too cold on Monday, so I just put a bunch of plastic toys in the one pool, and Andrea used it like a water table. It was perfect! She loved it.

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Today, it was warm enough to go for a swim! Andrea constantly asks to go swimming (even though we don't have a pool!), so today I could finally say yes. I had the turtle pool (once a sandbox) covered with its lid for 2 days, and the water was actually HOT now, so I had to add cool water before she could go in. Andrea was so excited once she could go in!

Look at her laughing--what a silly girl!

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We also purchased Andrea's big birthday gift this weekend, and Daddy and I set it up on Monday. We decided to give it to her early, because it's one more thing to make the backyard more toddler-friendly. It's a little climbing castle, with a slide and a swing. It's just toddler size, but still a good investment, because by the time Andrea outgrows it, Bud will be ready for it.

"Woohoo!"