playtime

I spent last week substituting in the elementary school.  After a few days worth of recess duty I just really wanted to run around on the playground but of course being a teacher figure that would not be appropriate and would sabotage the whole recess dichotomy.

As luck would have it last week I got a message from my cousin Beth. She was wondering if I would like to hang out with her kids for a few hours so she could run some errands. To which I replied - of course! But only if we can go to the playground.

Tommy's Kid's Castle was built in Shanklin Park (by community volunteers) right about the time I was just a little too old to play on it. It has been my secret wish ever since seeing it to be able to run around and have fun on it. With the help of Araelynn and Bowen that wish came true.

I met them at the park and we began our little date with a snack - packed by their Mom - at the picnic tables.  This picnic table was junior sized - perfect for their two and three year old selves.

Then the exploration began.  We ran up and down and around - some of those spaces are very tight and I was grateful to have chosen my most practice of still impractical shoes.

The slide was a big hit.  I forgot how staticy those big tubes get.

Keeping track of the two of them at the same time was a bit of a challenge.  I can see why some adults just park it at the entrance and use the you shall not pass method but it was way more fun to run after them.

The big slide was pretty thrilling for these two.  I always liked the spiral slides too.

After the big slide we decided to take a walk.  Goshen has a beautiful trail by the Elkhart River and it was just about perfect that day - slightly humid but beautiful.  

We checked out the bridge, what was in the water below the bridge, and there was some massive curiosity as to what was on the other side of the bridge.

Of course, being my mother's daughter, I made them stand by the bridge with the beautiful late summer river foliage behind them for a photo.  When they morphed into this pose I tried desperately not to roll on the ground laughing.  A started the odd pose and B followed suit.  It was too funny.

We stood along side the trail as middle school cross country runners competed.  A was very good at cheering them on and I explained to her that her daddy used to run cross country when he was in school.  He was really fast and when she's big she will be fast too.  To her, all big people are really, really fast.  B was pretty contented just to be riding around on my shoulders.

We stopped at the regular-sized picnic tables to have a second snack.  It was just about then that their mom came back and it was time to go home.  They were pretty tuckered out and I was pretty proud of that.