Parking

We took advantage of the sunshine and slightly warmer weather to take a trip to the park today. Not surprisingly, it was a pretty happening place. In addition to many of the usual suspects we see there on weekdays, there was a contingent of kids who would normally be in school who were there running, jumping rope and ball playing. Although my primary motive was to get Sophie and myself out of the house for a few hours, I also wanted to get outside and try out my new camera in natural light.

There are two large playground installations. One is obviously for smaller kids while the other is much bigger, with longer slides and more complex activities that are clearly aimed at older kids. After playing on the small one for some months, I thought we would give the big one a try. This is when I discovered that my little daredevil thinks she can fly. Standing on the platform at the highest level, she stepped off into the nothingness. Luckily, I was standing right next to her and caught her by her hood. If I had been a little slower or less attentive, or if my grip on her hood had been less secure, she would have fallen 8 feet or so to the mulch-covered ground below. It took a good 10 minutes for my heart to stop feeling like it was going for a world speed record. I think we'll hold off on the big playground equipment for a little while.
















We also spent some time on the swings. How I loved the swings as a kid. Going so high you thought for sure you could go all the way around. Flipping off at the highest point of the arc, legs kicking in the air before landing roughly in an awkward run. When I first started putting her on the swings, Sophie was a little nervous, she tucked her legs up next to her chest and pulled her arms in, like a cannonball, rarely smiling. Now she lets her arms and legs swing loose and spends most of her time smiling and laughing. Today was no exception.

The isolation of the stay at home mom is magnified during the wintertime when it is too cold to go out of doors. These lovely days will keep us sane as we forge on through to spring.