Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Sunday in the Park

Though we missed out on our Saturday in the Park, it was my deepest honor to fulfill my promise to Abby that we really really would go the next day. Having carried over some exhaustion from the day before, we were a bit more sluggish in the morning, and left a good twenty minutes later than previously, but made excellent enough time to arrive very-nearly on the dot.

Despite the delectable fruit options laid out on the table in the pavilion, Abby had eyes only for the play area, towards which she immediately ran with complete and total abandon. Tom and I knew that we would have our work cut out for us keeping track of her, and as it turns out, we did.

After enduring a solid five minutes of sheer panic when we realized she had completely fallen off the radar, we quickly learned to keep tabs on each other, as well, to ensure that neither was feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of managing two babies at once, at least one of which was free-ranging. Somebody always had to be doing it, since there are two of us and three of them, and neither of us had the energy to be constantly running after the loose cannon(s).

I was the one who found her, quite a ways up a bordering path that led towards the nearby townhome community. She had met a local girl on the playground, and tried to follow her home to "see her dolls." Be still, my hammering heart. We've had several conversations since about the importance of telling Mommy and Daddy before going off anywhere like that, but I'm doubtful that she truly understands the concept just yet.

Despite the brief scare, a good time was had by all, accentuated by the cherished and special moments spent with too-rarely-seen friends. Though we made overtures to leave on a couple of occasions before then, we stayed the full four hours. The plus side: we were there for ice cream cake and Mei Mei's late arrival. The downside? The kids definitely maxed out on sugar and overexcitement.

No one fought us on going back down to nap even after being interrupted by a transfer from the car, but we had to cut off Abby and Michael at 4:30 pm, and Mia at 5:30 pm, to have any hope of a successful bedtime. Extreme crankiness ensued.

I could have done without the crankiness, but never would I change the day.



See-saws and leaf-steps and rock-walls- oh, my!









That must have been a courage-instilling bit of pizza crust, because that was the first time he willingly tried out a slide (and this was after riding in a swing alone for a bit, which he's never agreed to before).


Where was Mia through all of this? Enjoying the sunshine, largely behind the camera, with Mommy.


I'm sure the kids would agree.

(And if Mia's following ten-hour, uninterrupted stretch of overnight sleep was any indication, I suspect that she may have had the most fun of all.)