So now that summer is coming to an end, I feel spent and fresh out of ways to keep the kids entertained - hopefully it is just this week and I will be fresh and ready for next week, or I might just have to resort to starting my countdown for the start of pre-school. Anyway, now that the heat has let up and we have gotten some rain, I thought it would be fun to take the kids and their rubber rain boots to Bryan Park, one of the few parks around that we do not frequent on a regular basis. Ashley happened to be at the house and decided to come along on this adventure. She was able to capture these pics on her cell since I was not brave enough to take my camera on a mud-hunting expedition.
Years ago (like 8 or 9), when Grayson and Elway were pups and Malcolm was young and energetic, Milly and I used to meet at Bryan Park for some of the best trail runs. They were not the best trail runs because the trails are so numerous and wonderful, it was the company - running in the woods with Milly, two goofy Great Dane puppies and a Golden Retriever was just flat out entertaining, not at all like exercise. In fact, those times running in the park were so fun and memorable that Grayson's AKC registered name was 'Stellar Danes Romp in the Park.'
Needless to say, I have many memories linked to the park, and I took a small but smile-provoking trip down memory lane while I guided Evyn and Reed down the wooded trails in search of mud to stomp around in. Silly me, I was thinking there might actually be some ooey-gooey mud to play in, but since we have not had much rain at all this summer, the ground promptly slurped up any moisture around. I promptly resorted to plan B - the little shallow creek that the dogs used to cool off in.
This was the perfect solution - the creek was shallow enough and did not appear to be too dirty, although it turned out to be pretty stinky. The kids were super excited, and I continued to relive the past and remember my favorite girl, Grayson, as I stood around on dry land with Ash, supervising the water stomping activities. That is when they just had to take it to the next level (no surprise here). First, Reed found a deeper spot and both of his boot tops were under the water level. He did not seem to care too much so neither did I. Then, the kicking and splashing started followed by digging up the creek bottom with the hands. This was then followed by Reed falling in a deeper area which left only the very tops of his shoulders and head dry. This did go over too well with him. As I was encouraging Reed to come closer to me, Evyn thought that she would try getting on her hands and knees too. She did not fall like Reed had, she just wanted to see if she was missing any fun. After this stunt and Evyn's refusal to listen to my words of wisdom, the fun was over and it was time to head back to the car. The lesson here: Wet clothes are no fun and walking back through the woods with wet clothes is even worse.
The day following the adventure at Bryan Park we chose a more subdued location, Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens with our friend Aiden, his baby sister and mommy. Today, I have refereed several fights, and Evyn and I drew faces on a few spare cherry tomatoes from our garden, cut slits for mouths and squeezed. Even I giggled as we pretended that our little tomato people had a serious stomach bug. All I can say at this point is TGIF. Hope next week provides me with fresh new ideas for child entertainment that do not involve stinky creek water or puking tomatoes.
