Indoor Adventures

What do you do when it's raining and your grandbaby says he misses you and just wants you?

Well, of course that means an indoor adventure.

But not just any indoor activity. The kind that entertains him, keeps him engaged, and builds the kind of memories that stick.

He loves dinosaurs.He loves pretend picnics. So naturally, you combine them. You create a Dinosaur Rescue Picnic Adventure.

Before I went to pick him up, I scattered dinosaurs all around the house — on top of furniture, along counters, anywhere they could climb to safety. In the middle of the room, I laid out a picnic blanket with food ready and waiting.

Because of course there had to be a story. (After all, I am a writer.)

The dinosaurs had planned a surprise picnic for Roland... but suddenly, the floor turned to lava! They had to climb as high as they could to stay safe.

When Roland walked in, he didn't hesitate. He immediately grabbed pillows and created safe landing spots so he could rescue each dinosaur without touching the lava. He jumped from pillow to towel to blanket, carefully saving every last one of them.

The floor-is-lava game never gets old when you're four.

Once the dinosaurs were safe, we finally had our picnic. And not just any picnic — a properly organized one. The carnivores were served chicken, steak, hot dogs, and sandwiches. The plant-eaters were given vegetables. Every dinosaur received exactly what they were supposed to eat.

He made sure of it.

But his creativity didn't end there.

Soon, he decided the dinosaurs didn't want a picnic after all. They wanted to camp out and go fishing.

Thankfully, the lava had receded.

We turned our safe passages into a pillow fort. We dimmed the lights. We grabbed flashlights and pretended we were deep in the woods. The dinosaurs went fishing. We whispered. We laughed. We rearranged cushions at least six times.

And we spent a glorious afternoon simply building memories. The kind that don't require screens.The kind that don't cost anything.The kind that begin with, "I just want you."

Matter of fact, this might even become an outdoor adventure when the weather gets better.

But honestly? There was something extra special about the rainy-day version.

Because sometimes the best adventures happen right in the middle of your living room.