Sprinkler Play

The weather over the past few days has been summery; in other words, perfect for running around in the backyard sprinkler:



Over the weekend, Ethan and the girls took a trip to the hardware store to buy a new sprinkler, since our previous sprinkler had broken last summer. Julia got to watch while he unearthed the hose from our garage and set up the sprinkler in the backyard, and witnessing such an event convinced her that either Ethan is an unparalleled genius, or that Mommy is such an immeasurable dunce that she could never pull off something as complicated as sprinkler set-up. Madeleine, too, seemed to doubt my hose-going abilities. After the kids were done frolicking around in the sprinkler on Monday afternoon, I announced that I was going to turn the water off. Julia had already headed inside by this point, but Madeleine stood watch by the sprinkler, convinced that something had gone horribly wrong with the whole turning-off-the-water ordeal. Because the sprinkler continues to spurt a low-intensity trickle of water until the hose is emptied, Madeleine was panic-stricken, certain that I had not actually turned it off.

MADELEINE: MOOOOMMMMMY! It's not turnin' OFFFFFF!
ME: It's okay, honey. I turned the water off. Let's go inside.
MADELEINE: (touching the tiny squirts of water as they petered out of the sprinkler) No, Mommy! It's not turnin' OFFFFFFF! Can you turn it OFFFFFF?
ME: I did turn it off, honey. Do you want me to show you how I turned it off?
MADELEINE: (laughing and crying with relieved tears) Yeah. You can just SHOW me. You can just TURN it OFF!

This led to a quick demonstration of how to turn the hose on and off, which Madeleine mostly ignored, as she was too busy stomping in the small puddles made of water that had leaked from the spigot to which the hose was attached. However, clearly the whole ordeal was not forgotten, as the subject resurfaced during our bedtime snuggles.

ME: Okay, honey, it's time for bed. Did you have a good day?
MADELEINE: Yeah, the sprinkler's just not turnin' OFF! But... can you turn it off? Yeah, it's just not turnin' off, and you just did RIGHTY-TIGHTY and it's just not turnin' off. The water is not TURNIN' OFF.

I wonder if the image of slowly trickling water haunted her dreams that night.

Julia did not give me trouble about turning off the water, although she did make it utterly clear that she didn't believe me capable of any sprinkler responsibilities. She was quick to point this out to the doctor during yesterday's ear/hearing check:

DR: Did you have a fun day yesterday?
JULIA: (nodding)
DR: Did you run around outside in the sprinkler?
ME: Yup, we set it up.
DR: Yeah, I set mine up for my kids yest-
JULIA: No, no, my DAD set it up.

Furthermore, as we played out in the backyard yesterday afternoon, Julia and I had this conversation:

JULIA: Mommy, I'm really hot. I wish we could play in the sprinkler.
ME: Well, we can if you want to.
JULIA: (incredulous) But... do you even KNOW how to set up a sprinkler?

Seeing as all that was required was to turn on the hose, which was already attached to the sprinkler, I think I can handle this one, Jules.

When not playing in the sprinkler, the girls have been busy enjoying their new toys from the plastic eggs they scavenged at the church egg hunt. Madeleine sported her new, cool bracelets yesterday, as well as decorated her hands with stamps and tattoos:



And she has been very attached to her little plastic kazoo all morning, which she insists, delightedly, is "my new BINKY!":



Awesome. JUST what we need...