What do you do on a rainy day?

One of my favorite things to do as a child was to build a fort. Yesterday was a rainy day, and Caroline was sick (of course) on top of that, so to entertain everyone, we built a fort. A big one. We used a queen sized quilt, four dining room chairs, and a couple of sheets. I could even sit down in it, and it took up a lot of our living room. Even a grumpy sick girl was reasonably happy in her new environs. What do you do after you've worn yourself out playing creatively in a fort? You use the chairs at the front of the fort to sit in and watch an episode of Kipper the Dog. Caroline has been running a fever, so she's pretty low on energy, and we've certainly watched more television than usual! Today we did something we've never done before at home: we painted. I bought the paints and brushes about six months ago, and the easel for that matter, with the thought of a Christmas gift (yes, that was four months before Christmas, and I usually shop on Christmas eve--I don't know what got into me:) ). Come Christmastime I had forgotten about the easel, and already bought more than enough gifts for the kids, so when I remembered it, I decided not to give it to them. One snowy day in January we were looking for something to do, and I thought of the easel. It's a chalkboard on one side, and a white erase board on the other, with a roll of paper in the middle. I figured that those elements were enough of a treat, and I didn't give them the paint I had also bought. Today after we went for a rainy day walk and we were starting to feel a little cooped up again, I decided it was the day to paint. They loved it! Caroline painted three pictures, and Jack painted two. We hung them up to dry on the stone around the wood stove. They have distinct painting styles. Jack is very intent, and does a lot of color in a small space, while Caroline's pictures are more spread out. These are Jack's: And these are Caroline's:

And just in case you've been watching it alternate between rain and snow outside too, and you're wondering when and if spring is coming, Trace brought me these from outside our E. Main store today: Yes, spring is coming!

For Anna and Josie

Well, my kids would like to have a place to post pictures of themselves for Anna and Josie to see, so we've decided to have a blog too. Here are a few things they've done lately, on their own, and inspired by their cousins. JACK just wrote his own name, and he's helping me write this blog. This weekend we worked at the store all weekend, painting in the kitchen, and moving things around, which kept us all busy. It was a rainy weekend, but that didn't keep my kids inside. This is a picture of the two of them scooping water out of their wheelbarrow and then carrying it to the mud puddle they made. Yes, that's right, I said they made their own mud puddle. I discovered this when Jack came inside saying, "Mom, can you come turn off the hose?" They made quite a puddle next to the back porch, which they were calling their pond. If there's not enough rain to make a big enough puddle, Jack has apparently discovered how to make his own pond to stomp around in. He's a creative boy. I was trying to take a surreptitious picture of the two of them, so it's far away. I hate to interrupt when they're playing happily together. Today they built forts, inspired by their cousins. Here they are in their respective forts: About the title: My friend Lindsey calls Jackson and Caroline the Fikelings, so since I intend this blog to be mostly about them, I thought it was an appropriate title. In honor of her, here's a picture of Lindsey taken last Friday morning, reading to the Fikelings and to her daughter Marilyn (and to Marilyn's baby brother, to be born in July or August). Thanks for your witty nickname Linds!