Perfect Day at the Park

Saturday was a gorgeous spring day. It began kind of gray, with us dreading the fact that Rachel had a softball scrimmage in the afternoon. Figuring that it would be cold and awful, that she and Matt would not have fun, and that I'd be home with the other kids, who'd be mad they had to stay home. BUT...then it got sunnier, and by 11:00 the kids were playing happily outside, and we had the windows all over the house open for some fresh air. Bliss.

It stayed beautiful, and so we packed up for the park. Softball stuff for Rachel, water canteens, coffee for the adults, cookies, crackers and oranges to snack on, scooters, wet washcloths and a book for me, just in case I found a spare moment of quiet (I didn't!) I took Julia, Ben and Emma to the playground while Matt watched Rachel play ball, and in the middle we switched.

Can I just say that the first nice spring day at the playground is such a joy? Kids are smiling, nobody's bored, parents are pushing swings and drinking coffee and chatting. Emma climbed like a monkey, and Julia finally got across the Z shaped monkey bars by herself! That was a true accomplishment, and she's been working at it for 2 years now. She was so proud at her strength, and I was too. That was a lot of rungs to get across, and the shape of it makes it even harder. Ben successfully pumped on the swings (though he still likes to be pushed!) and they played a chipmunk game, gathering acorns under the play structure. Also that they were mice being swallowed by a cat (the twisty slide was the throat...) And Julia was thrilled to see her beloved giant scooter hill--and Ben was thrilled to be old enough this year to try it too! (Last year I had visions of his 4 year old body crashing and scraping all the skin off his back as he went down...)

When I went to watch Rachel, I got to see my girl hit the ball three times! She didn't see any action in the field, but her hitting is much improved from last year, so that was nice to see. It was just such a wonderful day, and it makes me appreciate warm weather so much. One thing about living in a 4-season climate is that those days where the season is changing are so sweet. I wouldn't trade it for anything!

And, the magnolia tree's blossoms are showing pink! In a few days we'll have showy, wonderful flowers all over it. I will post pictures. My favorite tree in the whole world!

--Jen