Finally!

Stop the presses!  Stop the presses!  Yesterday, NOT A SINGLE DROP of rain fell here in the town of Delden!  You heard it right, folks - not a single drop!  (Actually, rain fell during the evening hours, but the daytime was free and clear of rain.)  Rain has fallen each day since our arrival last weekend, keeping us cooped up in our little Dutch house and longing to explore the area.

We had our opportunity to get outdoors yesterday.  It wasn't warm, and the ground was completely saturated after days of rain, but we wasted no time in heading outdoors just in case more rain showers were on their way.  We took a short walk to the mailboxes to retrieve the Dutch junk mail that awaited us, and then continued walking until we stumbled upon a small playground.  The equipment was covered in puddles of rain water and was not necessarily age appropriate, but we played on it anyways, not knowing when we'd next have the chance to visit the playground.

Yesterday afternoon, the sun (THE SUN!) actually broke free of the clouds that have kept it hidden for days.  The sunshine didn't last long (it had disappeared by the time the twins awoke from their nap), but it was appreciated nonetheless.  With still no raindrops in sight, we headed back outside for yet another walk to the mailbox and to the small playground in the campground next to our bungalow park. Again, it wasn't much of a playground, but Maddie and Will didn't seem to mind.  In fact, Will didn't want to leave; even as I pushed Maddie away and told him we were leaving, he still wanted to stay!

We woke up to the sun this morning, and it has stayed visible in the sky all day.  It's windy and a bit chilly, but still - the sun is shining!  Perhaps this is the start of a dry stretch of weather!  A girl can hope, can't she?

Maddie was happy to get a little fresh air!

When we found this playground hidden at the end of a street not too far from our home, I couldn't get Will out of the stroller fast enough!  

A few fights broke out over this motorcycle.

What a stunt woman!  Riding the motorcycle one-handed!

The girl has no fear!

Maddie was enjoying a peaceful ride on the motorcycle until...

Will showed up.

This picture perfectly illustrates the twins' relationship; Will, in good fun, often antagonizes his sister while Maddie grumbles and looks to me or Jim to respond to Will's antics.  

A girl and her bike

Someone didn't want to leave the playground!

"Can we stay just a few minutes more, Mama?"

Sporting a new pair of pants (the pair that she wore to the park that morning had become soiled with mud), Maddie enjoyed a ride aboard the spring toy at our second playground stop of the day.

♥

Will enjoyed riding on the spring toy as well, though he preferred to go much faster than his sister.

When Will didn't want to leave the playground, I told him that I would give him just one more spin on the merry-go-round before we left.  Didn't work.  He got the spin he was promised, but then he wanted to spin the merry-go-round himself and to ride on the spring toy again and to push the seesaw up and down one more time...which is why Maddie and I finally had to walk away!