Crazy or Courageous?

So, I watched the Miller girls again today, and had this fantastic idea! Wouldn't it be so much fun for the kids if I set up Everett's little wading pool, I thought. They'd love it! Yes, it was fun for the kids, but a bit of a logistics nightmare for the crazy adult involved. "I can do this," I told myself. "How?" I asked. (You see, I had little adult conversation today, mostly it was a small child saying "outside?" "wing?" translation: swing, so I had a lot of conversations with myself) And, with 3 kids under 2, I think I must have been crazy to even consider it beyond the first thought. But, I told myself to be brave, this could be an adventure, a challenge for the day, something to keep us all from going completely insane.

So, I filled the pool so it would warm up. I grabbed towels and set them outside. I found shorts and shirts for 2 girls to wear while playing in water. I pulled the kid swing close to the pool. Before and after naps, depending on the child, I fed them lunch. Put sunblock on 3 kids, changed 3 diapers to avoid any major contamination of the pool water, took out a blanket to lay in the grass, hauled 1,2,3 kids outside, putting 2 in the swing and one on the blanket. Luckily, they still hadn't noticed there was water in the bright green blow-up turtle in front of them, and before they did, I set up the canopy so the sun wasn't so scorching. Finally, I introduced them to the fact that there was water in that turtle. And, they were amazed!

They splashed and played and had a grand old time. Then, I saved the little one from the splashing, the oldest one wanted to wing, and the only boy continued to splash. And one by one they got in and out and in and out, bringing the obvious blades of grass and occasional grasshopper with them.

So then, how do you get them out when one has had completely enough, and they most likely all need an afternoon nap, one would wonder. Or maybe you know, and you're thinking I had this one coming! Well, it wasn't so bad, because the younger 2 had had enough, and the other was 'winging. So, take 1 and 2 in, then peel the third off the 'wing in protest. Get 3 kids changed out of wet clothes and 20 pound diapers and back into dry clothes. Pop in bottles or sippies, whatever is age appropriate, and the rest is history, except the taking down, but that has been accomplished this evening.

Whew~!