Now is when I give a big, fat round of applause (I almost wrote applesauce... this brain mush of mine is becoming sorrier by the minute) to my fantastic partner in crime. I truly did not worry for one second of my three day excursion to my cousin's wedding... well, maybe when someone admitted that he'd been using paper towels at diaper change time when the wipes ran out. Ouch. No really, he made it waaay too easy on me to hop on a plane and leave and I appreciate it more than words. All I can say is... Vegas, baby, Vegas. Except I don't like Vegas so much so maybe it's Spa, baby, Spa.
Anyhoo, as I was running in drizzly rain today, I was thinking about how this was going to be the first day in a long time where we couldn't get to the playground or go bike riding without putting our rain gear on. Because, yes, it rains a lot here but it's not like the Ark is on standby everyday to take us places. It's usually drizzle or mist and we actually receive less rainfall than Boston here (but do have more overcast days, it's true). So, even on days where there is precipitation, it isn't an all day affair and we get out. We've also had an incredibly mild fall so we've been able to get our afternoon wiggles out by bike riding or playgrounding almost every day. There are over ten playgrounds within three miles of us and, while we have our favorites, we make good use of most of them on a regular basis. And true to what the old ladies like to say in the grocery store line, most days the critters do indeed go running in opposite directions. If there's an open tennis court or field, Jack beelines it there to run in circles (weird?) and lusts after every clean, mangy, nice, growly, deaf dog he can spot and that is looking for squealing affection. He's the least picky kid when it comes to those of the canine persuasion. The more kisses on the face, the better. He avoids swings at all costs, but dogs? Those things rank right after trains in his hit parade. The swing aversion is unfortunate because guess who could swing and hang upside down all day long? Yup. The blonde tornado. The more blood that rushes through her ears, the better. The more dramatic shrieks to come help her but when I show up she wants to do it herself, the better. The more people she invites over that we've never met, the better. I think I've "cancelled" more play dates that she's set up than we've ever had in our lifetime. Oh, I love the playground. Except when I don't, because sometimes I won't (Dr. Seuss needs to exit my brain mush). And it's on those days that I can't quite stomach dogs or monkey bars that we go biking. Molly has finally gotten over braking up hill -- because someone taught her to skid so now that's pretty fun. Or not for me as she careens into pricker bushes. Jack, as you saw from the Blogfather, prefers to push the stroller (that stroller is pure gold. Do you know how much easier the grocery store is with that thing? It's A-M-A-Z-I-N-G) or ride in the Cozy Coupe. I've put the CC in the shop for a few days, however, because he will take off at breakneck speeds (as breakneck and plastic wheels allow) until he crashes in to railings. It's hilarious -- to him. Not to me.
So, maybe I'm a little glad that we had an inside day today. It was a cozy, happy afternoon with only a few jumps from high places (ahem) and no dogs or bikes. We'll take the rain and drizzle every now and again, if only because it makes us appreciate how much we do love getting our wiggles out in the out of doors.
And the fun begins...
On the way up... to upside down.
Sometimes two-footing it isn't so bad, right?
Notice a trend with the flower picking? This boy can not pass a dandelion without swooning.
There is mischief afoot.
Keeping tabs on the uphill progress.
These two are all about the teamwork -- the boss lady directs and the minion pushes.
Hi mom, I'm going to fool you into thinking I'm a benign driver.
Pedal pusher.
Jeff "Jack" Gordon scoping out which ramps to fly down and which railings to run into.
Super sonic speed racer.
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