it's raining, it's pouring...

it seems like it's rained more this year than the past five years combined. i'm assuming that has at least a little something to do with the graveyard of trees we have in our backyard (oh, and the fourth and only remaining upright tree is on its way down now), and all the rain we've had has most certainly contributed to the outbreak of cabin fever my kiddos and i have been suffering from lately.

we really love playing outside in pretty weather, so i have to get creative when the weather keeps us indoors. up until recently, the most thrilling activity i had come up with was going to mcdonald's to eat lunch in the trunk (that one was a gem), but recently, we've substituted our visits to greaseville with something less expensive (read free) and certainly healthier. there's a neighborhood near our house that has a killer "dip". it's got a lake on one side, and when it's been raining a lot, water actually runs across the dip -- over the road -- from one side to another. and our kids think it's the most amazing thing they've ever seen.

especially when i turn off the music, roll down the windows, and ride through it just fast enough to make water splash up all around us.

the rainy weather actually works in our favor when we're wanting to go through the dip, so a few weeks ago when it had been pouring for years many hours, i loaded the munchkins up into the car and set out for the dip. we talked the whole way there about how super-high our splashes would be because of all the rain, and the little ones took turns squealing with delight. but as we came around the curve, things looked a little different than they normally do.

and as we got closer to our little dip of joy, it was quite clear that we were most certainly not going to be making any splashes on this particular day. the dip was a river!!

(no, i'm not the one who knocked that barrier down. we really love splashing through there but not enough to risk our lives!) i wish i could have videoed how fast the water was moving -- and how high it was in the road -- because photos just can't do it justice. but to get a better idea of how bad it was, here's the golf course that's on the other side of the road from the lake.

wow -- no tee times today!! oh well, guys, i tried.

sad.