Winter has come to Seattle. I fully admit I find downpours overwhelming. I've looked at the rain thrashing the bathroom window and decided to drive the kids to school. But, the typical day is perpetual twilight and drizzle. And if you think that would drive you insane, try staying indoors with two kids for the next four months.

David, Rose, and I have had a great time at the park this week-end. I let the kids use my scarf to slide down the wet slides. Fast! Then they created a game where they pulled each down with the scarf. Faster! We spent a late afternoon hour kicking balls, pretending to be in jail, pretending to be a cat stuck in a tree, pretending to be a firefighter rescuing the cat stuck in a tree, and chatting with neighbors.