There was a tractor at the park yesterday. Can you guess what Jackson wanted to do the whole time ;)?
Playdate @ the Park!
I am loving the gorgeous weather this week. 70’s and 80’s across the board. I love it so much, I am thinking of going outside and doing about a million sun salutations. Today, we finally got to squeeze a play date in with Becca & Peyton, which is the first we have had since Becca’s recent health scare with Guillain Barre Syndrome. Needless to say, we were beyond stoked to hit the playground with these two! For once, I remembered all of the children (nieces FTW!), my camera, AND my dog! I think I overdid it and took one too many living creatures. Next time, Marley might have to stay behind. Anyhow, I thought I would share a few photos with you from our bright, sunny, warm, happy day:
Be still my heart…
Crawlkin’ along
So happy at the park!
My boy is happy to hang out and try to eat mulchunderthe jungle gym while all of the others stomp around on top:
The Park.
Our neighborhood has almost no amenities. I mean, they cut our grass and plow the snow, which is pretty cool, but other than that there is really not much. We do have a park for all of the little children to play in, but it isn’t conveniently located and, well, it’s ugly. It has been very poorly maintained over time, and there is grass peeking through the years old mulch, and the black plastic they place under the mulch is showing in quite a few place. Moreover, I worry about the safety of the ride-on spring toy things, as the big springs supporting the little duck or horse are pretty rusted. Never in my few years living here have I seen any kids playing in the poor ignored park. Today it is in the mid-upper 60s, and we decided to take advantage. One thing I have learned is that regardless of the condition of the “park,” if there are swings, or a big yellow slide - the little ones couldn’t be more over the moon. Through their little eyes, the dilapidated little square on the hill comes to life, transforming into a wonderland that only tiny eyes and faces can appreciate. It is one of the few places where us grown humans let them be loud and rambunctious, where they can run free and feel the breeze flowing through their perfect little hairs.
I think I will be writing a letter to the HOA, asking them to take care of this long-ignored little park. I fear that people are hesitant to take their children to the park, and knowing that the town features some much larger and more magical parks to run in, but really, this tiny place can be magical to these little ones, and I suspect, that if cared for properly, it could be a lovely little place in our community, instead of a long-forgotten eyesore atop a hill.
A Picnic in the Park…
Today, Jackson & I made plans to hang with two of our favorite girls, Ali & Zoe. When she asked what we wanted to do, I said ‘all I can ever think about is eating, but its supposed to be so nice out today, with low humidity,’ which is a treat in the Virginia summer. She said (as I knew I could count on) ‘we can eat!’ Then-I got a brilliant idea ‘Let’s have a picnic!’ So I went to the store and made some great picnic foods. Packed the little dude in the car and off we went. We chose Silver Lake Park as the venue for our little party. While you can reach the park by main roads, whenever possible I opt to take the scenic route, so back roads it was! Roads that twist and curve through the countryside; where you can see the rolling hills, perfectly tree-framed roads, and then where there is an opening, the sky-scraping wonder that is the blue ridge mountains.
While Jackson chose to sleep for the better part of our journey, I chose to admire the beauty that is the Virginia countryside. I smelled my favorite scents of summer - fresh cut grass included. Waved hello to the men driving the tractors, and put some of my favorite music on. The paved roads ran out, and we went onto the gravel, slower this time, but still moving, until finally we reached our destination. Ali & Zoe met us at the park and we took our feast to one of the many available picnic tables in the shade (we were really the only people out today). Zoe wandered through the field, and picked a flower for Jackson (sweet girl), while we got things ready.
A friend of ours bought this picnic basket for us as a wedding gift, it is seriously awesome!:
About 5 minutes in, she was ready to go see the lake.
We were only able to convince her to wait about 5 more minutes, so off we strolled. Zoe collected rocks along the way happy that she would soon be throwing them in the water. Ali & I sat on a bench and watched the joy that is an (almost) three-year-old girl, always viewing things as if it were the first time, and always ending up covered in dirt and chocolate, naturally. I will bet you $100.00 that on the way home she exclaimed ‘that was so fun, mom!’ as she does after each trip to target, the mall, or some place that really IS fun, like the water park.
I had never been to this park before, but it was pretty magical. It was a huge property with tons of trails, trees, and a big lake. It also has a newly constructed barn for therapeutic horses. They also allow fishing, which is one of my favorite childhood pastimes.
We will definitely be coming back more often. The one downside, was the amount of bugs. Yes, there were bugs in nature, who would’ve thought. All things considered, it was a good day…
But, then again, any day with these two is a good day.
A walk in the park…
I woke up this morning and, as usual, was having contractions. They were a little stronger than they have been in recent days, so I thought it would be best to stay home, close to the hospital (I literally could throw a pebble and hit the hospital from my house) rather than drive alllll the way to work and possibly have to turn around and come right back. Well you guessed it. They stopped. Some days i have SO many, and other days I have next to none (yesterday I had 27 of them. not painful. just a lot). The weather is glorious today and I thought it would be nice to get out and enjoy it, and in hopes of moving this pregnancy along, decided to take Marley and Diesel on a walk (Don’t worry-I didn’t leave Charlotte out. She goes to work with her dad!).So I got my iPod, put them on the leash and off we waddled went.
I love that things are starting to (finally) look green again…
I love how expressive Marley is. She literally smiles. All the time-and today, she is looking really happy:
REALLY happy.
Diesel isn’t much for the camera. She is an introvert and likes to shy away… (or just show you her butt!)
We walked, and walked, and walked. Our neighborhood has these paved paths that weave around and around over hills and streams, by the playground, etc. There is a little bridge over a little stream:
Marley likes the bridge:
Walking is really difficult these days. I get stabbing pains when Jackson moves certain ways, and when you have two beasts pulling you along, it doesn’t make it much easier ;). When all was said & done, we came back home, they drank a gallon of water, and I am still pregnant :). It was worth it though, look how happy my girl is:
