Bubbles, Boxes, and Leaves
Thursday, March 10, 2011 at 10:00PM Little did I know what fun would ensue because of a three dollar purchase at Walmart. I bought each of the kids a large bubble tube, and on one of these gorgeous days we've had lately they went, quite eagerly, into the backyard and bubbled to their hearts' content.
They made bubbles
chased bubbles
caught bubbles
and head-butted bubbles.
By the way, do you know something I like about my kids? I like that my son doesn't have a second thought about making giant bubbles with his sister's pink bubble tube, and my daughter likes to stand with her foot resting on a football. They are out of the box, man.
Speaking of boxes, the bubbles could only last so long, and so a new plan evolved. A box was certainly involved. And you may have guessed by now, but leaves were also employed.
They began with our deck; hatful by coneful they cleared the deck of as many of the deliciously crunchy yet strangely slippery leaves as they could.
They covered a small hill on one side of our yard with the leaves, spreading them out like leaf frosting on a terribly sloped cake.
When they ran out of leaves on the deck they moved their operation to the other side of the yard, where they found an abundance of fallen leaves which they saved from their miserable fate of lying useless and disregarded on the ground. As though my children were a part of the fire brigade they scooped, carried, tossed, and dumped those leaves until their hill was satisfactorily hidden beneath a serious layer of foliage.
Then. They got a hold of a box. You can imagine that we have some lying around. (In case you don't know, we have recently moved. Not recently enough for it to be decent to have our boxes lying around, much less unpacked, but recently enough to say recently.) (We could probably get into the Guinness Book of World Records for Longest Period of Time to Move into a New Home.)
They all piled on to the flattened box in their first attempt to careen down the leafy hill.
They got as far as one inch. Michaela decided they ought to take turns, and of course she should go first. This went over well with her brother.
Not really, but he managed to survive.
Michaela's turn was short-lived. (A small note regarding the slideshows: If you use the arrow key to move through the photos it is more like a moving picture, and much funnier. Also, quicker.)
Christian was next, but alas, his turn was also short-lived.
Michaela and Christian knew they would have to find a different way, a better way.
Eliana had her own plan, though. And she instructed everyone about it, too.
Even though no one was listening, she laid out her plan carefully and consisely.
Her voice was lost to the wind, but her vision remained constant. She was going to get down that hill.
On that box.
Following her initial succes, she immediately improved upon her original method, if such a thing could be done.
She then learned the hard way that one should not mess with a method that has been perfected.
And yet, sliding down a box was just as much fun as sliding down a leafy hill.
In spite of their failures, and because of their triumphs, there was a good deal of screaming and squealing on this cloudy, warm afternoon.
Always a sign of a wonderful day.
Reader Comments (5)
Wow! Such fun! I love how kids can entertain themselves with almost anything!
PS-loved that you remembered high-fiving . . . ha!!
What fun with your kids! I love bubbles, leaves, and box sleds.
What a fabulous afternoon. Good job taking time out to play. Those are priceless memories.
Like.
Looks like a fabulous time - and those sledding photos are ADORABLE.
But I'm really, really confused. How do you have so many leaves?
Where do you live?
IS IT AUTUMN THERE???