Rainy Days

It has been raining for days on end. Our front yard looks like a pond, and for the first time in the four years we've lived here, we have water in our basement.

In fact last night, while hanging out and eating pizza at our friends' house -- Aaron, Janelle and their adorable children, Quinton and Sloan -- flash flood warnings started blaring out of the TV. There was a roar of hard rain outside, and within minutes, the flow of water into their basement was fast and constant. Rob and Aaron were building levees with bagged sand, running a shop vac for hours, and trying to control the inevitable seepage into our friends' carpet with mounds of towels. Somehow, we still managed to have a blast -- finding reasons to laugh, watching the kids run around long after their bedtime, and taking time to inhale Janelle's homemade pumpkin cake in between urgent runs for "more towels!!!"

We've been trying to stay busy, but we all have cabin fever. Poor Maple's taking the brunt of our boredom. As I write, Rob has tied Madeline's hippo pull-toy onto her collar as Madeline chases behind, squealing with laughter. The poor dog was also forced to play the bongos this morning. Madeline's been experimenting with markers (coloring on herself), running in circles (a game that can last for 20 minutes at a time), playing hide-and-go-seek (Where's Madeline? Is she under the rug?), and watching the occasional Baby Einstein when I need a break.

Yesterday was a special treat. Ning and I went for manicures and pedicures, then stopped in a children's clothing store where Ning picked out three colorful outfits for Madeline -- polka-dotted and stripped, complete with matching hair bows. We met my dad, Rob and Madeline for a fun lunch at a mexican restaurant. The best part was that we could walk to each under a covered roof while the rain poured. And it's still raining..... Hope everyone's staying dry!