Sandbox therapy

I truly believe there are therapeutic elements in playing with sand. It was a warm, sunny day in January yesterday. We took advantage of the unusual weather and spent an afternoon outside. As noted in my last post we've had a rough few days around here. So, a day in the out of doors was just the ticket to cheer us all up! Everyone was quiet, peaceful and smiling while playing in the sandbox. Mae was able to run, jump and throw her ball with almost limitless boundaries. I love our backyard and I love the fact that Mae doesn't require me to follow directly behind her every step like she did last spring. I took lots of pictures of Nate's first real experience playing in the backyard. It looks like we're going to have a fun summer! I'll be busy running after him this time around! He grabbed at the sand to feel it run through his hands, tried to put the yucky sand toys in his mouth, and growled at the bubbles when they came near him. He's right on target in his development. :) I am truly enlightened to what Mae is really capable of doing on her own when I watch her play while under Jon's supervision. He lets her have way more Independence than I give her! I freaked out when I saw her at the top of the tree house all by herself. Mommy has strict rules about that, but Jon assured me that she has done it many times before under his watch and she does fine. I just had to take a deep breath, look the other way and pray. I know Jon loves and cares for her just as much as I do, but Daddy has a totally different way of "play" than Mommy. By giving her a little more freedom, I was able to watch her come up with her own little imaginative games and try different ways to play. It was a good day and everyone ate well at supper, slept well at bedtime and all through the night. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!!!! Bring on more warm weather, please??!!!
Note: Below you will find a video depicting my point of Daddy's way to play. I was at the store, Nate was taking a nap, and Jon was "helping" Mae clean up her blocks. There is a strict Mommy rule of "No throwing the blocks" but Jon doesn't think of it as throwing if it's going into the right bucket. I guess what I don't know/see won't hurt me, but Jon decided to make a video of the misdemeanor! For days I will be undoing the throwing blocks episode. But I will say that when I got home from my solo -Hallelujah!!! Thank you Jon!- trip to the grocery store, both babies were happy, fed and clean. Jon is a wonderful, involved, caring father and we're all thankful for him.