Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs

While the rest of the country has been experiencing droughts and wildfires, our neck of the woods has been getting drenched with one rain storm after another.  We have had rain practically everyday for three weeks and it's not over yet.  I just checked the five day forecast and guess what?

yep.  more rain.

But that hasn't stopped us from having fun.  Here are a few pictures of Brigham and Eliza enjoying the rain while Clayton and Isaac were gone playing (indoor!) baseball. 

On another rainy day, the boys made cupcakes.  And I mean that literally.  I let them have at it in the kitchen while the girls napped and I worked on my sacrament meeting talk.  They even made their own frosting - including a milk-free version (powdered sugar and water) for Brig. 

Mmmm. . . Don't these look appetizing?

 Eliza thought so.

Stay with me folks. . .  I'm getting to the meatballs part.

One advantage of having so much rain (thus, staying home all day) is that Eliza finished her potty chart!

So to celebrate, we went to the toy store.  My kids practically died and went to heaven. You'd think they'd never seen toys before the way they oohed and aahed and stared open-jawed in every direction.  Eliza picked out a "dolly" of course. And the boys pooled all there summer savings together and bought a. . . a. . . a. . . actually we couldn't quite figure out what it was. . . but when they saw this gigantic blow-up ball thingy in the store, it was love at first sight.

So in between bouts of rain, they've been out in the backyard having space adventures in their "moon pod", exchanging tickets at the carnival for rides on the "hurtling orbit" ride,

and ramming down fortresses with the "ultimate cannonball".  It wasn't until a few days later when Isaac looked out the window and said, "You know, that thing really looks like a gigantic meatball."  And that's what it's been called ever since.  The Meatball.  I still chuckle to myself every time I tell one of the kids, "As soon as you finish such and such you can go outside and play in. . . The Meatball." 

 And truth be told. . .

I honestly can't think of a more fitting name.