Nice day for ducks...and 3-year-old boys.

Our neighbor's yard, to the north, is now missing the yard.

We have had some wet weather around here this week. The seasonal lake that is otherwise known as our backyard is the largest we have ever seen it - spreading all the way up to our deck. If you are familiar with our backyard, well, this isn't it. The photo above is actually our neighbor's yard, which has never been wet before. This year, they have only lake and no yard. Perhaps a bonus outcome of all the digging they did last summer to fix their wet basement.

Oddly, we haven't yet seen the ducks that like to swim in our yard for the lake season, but John managed to enjoy it enough for all of them. Thank goodness Jeremy had the foresight to buy the kids winter boots that are all rubber so they double for rain boots. (I recommend clicking on these photos for a full-screen view. John's expressions are key to the vicarious experience,.)

This one is our backyard. 

John enjoyed the backyard, but found the front sidewalk very enticing, for some reason. Perhaps it was because he saw his big sister splashing in the puddles there the day before, on her way into the house, and he, being the neglected and abused one, was prevented from joining her. You can see the look on his face in the first photo below - he can't quite believe his good fortune that he is going to be allowed to do this. (Note that being allowed or not wouldn't actually affect whether he did it, but he does prefer to not get in trouble if he has a choice.)

Really? Can I go in here and not get a time out?

Once into the puddle, he quickly gained confidence in his position. Then, admonishments to avoid splashing his mother, her camera, or his baby sister in the front pack carrier clearly fell on stone deaf ears.

While I was glad that John could enjoy the water, I really prefer to spend my rainy days inside. Helen was glad to help me take a nap. This was how Jeremy found me within 15 minutes of his arrival home from work. Nothing, not even a rainy day, is quite like breastfeeding for inducing a really good nap.