our playground

Recently we have spent quite a bit of time at our neighborhood playground... although there are times when the attention (and questions about our family) from others can drive me bananas, I am very grateful for such a nice place to play.  Usually there are only a couple of other children there (if any), so it can be a great spot for family fun. 

See Lydia sitting up top there?  As I walked up with the camera she yelled "look Mom, I'm a fairy".  Are there days that you wish you were still five years old perched on top of some playground equipment? 

I wish they would wear shoes since the ground is really gross dirty but (as we all know) you just can't climb up a slide with shoes on.  And I don't want to go down in history as the mom who was more worried about dirty feet than slide-climbing.  So we kind of compromise.  They toss the shoes.  And every now and then I say, "the ground is just so dirty, could you please put them on for a few minutes?"  But it still makes my stomach churn when I think about all the nasty stuff that hits that playground surface. 

They often play some version of "the playground structure is a boat and the ground is the shark-infested water".  There are all kinds of variations to this theme, many of which involve Mom being attacked by sharks.  Silly Mommy, she keeps her shoes on and won't climb up the slide to safety. 

In keeping with the boat/water/shark idea, headfirst down the slide is referred to as "diving". 

Julianna has recently started running around with a few neighborhood girls on the weekends - they'll come stand in our courtyard and call for her to come out and play :)  Our complex is pretty small, and she has the freedom to run around with these girls as long as they don't leave the gates and don't enter anyone's home (other than ours of course - they sometimes choose to come in, but with the weather so nice it's the perfect season to spend lots of time outdoors before it gets too chilly).

Lydia sometimes tags along, but today she had chosen to stay with me.  And we hadn't been at the playground long when Julianna and the friends showed up.  

And then the friends went home, and eventually so did we :) But it won't be long before we're back again.