Outside Week: Rainy Monday

This week Espen and I are going to try to spend a little bit of time outside each day. Winter is approaching, and I'd like to get out and about as much as we can before it gets too cold and nasty. Not that cold and nasty weather has ever stopped a Norwegian, but I no longer live in Norway, and am getting a bit soft.

The other reason I want to get us outside a bit more is my eternal, maternal worrying. I worry that Espen is going to be part of a generation that is destined to spend even more time sitting in front of screens than we do. I worry that if we don't teach him early on that there is fun to be had quite literally in your own back yard, that he's going to grow up thinking that entertainment is something that is provided for you, rather than something you make yourself.

So outside we go!

Except yesterday was nothing but wet and rainy. Every time Espen was awake and fed and ready to go, it just rained and rained. At first I felt defeated, and like we were going to have to give up before it even got started. So I went to make myself some tea to aid me in my moping, and while I was in the kitchen it started raining even harder.

I mean really hard.

So I went to get Espen, and brought him to the glass door in the kitchen to show him the rain. He was absolutely fascinated! We sat on the floor by the door for a good 20 minutes and just watched:


It really was quite beautiful to watch. It was coming down so hard and so fast that we were essentially looking at a giant puddle where each falling rain drop made a splash and rings in the gathered water.


In the top picture we have door open, and the rain is splashing in on our faces, which Espen loved. At first he stared intently and blinked his eyes a bit as the rain hit his face, and then he started squealing and trying to head outside. We're not that outdoorsy yet.

Sure, our hair got wet and I had to get out a rag to wipe up the floor a bit from the rain, but it was so worth the teeny tiny inconvenience to see my little boy experience rain for the first time. It was so simple, but also a great reminder that things don't have to be complicated or expensive or especially time consuming in order to do something fun and really special together.