Planes and Parks

I'm still working on getting caught up on blogging. Last Friday was another beautiful day. I thought about taking the trio to the playground warehouse so they could play and jump on the trampolines. I got halfway there and decided I didn't want to drive that far. We went to Airport Overlook Park instead. I love watching the planes, but of all four kids, James is the only one who shares my enthusiasm. 

We watched several planes take off before the girls cried that it was too loud.

Amelia asked to go back in the van. I let the girls sit in the front and watch the planes...

...while James and I stood beside the van and watched.

I was in the wrong lane and ended up in I-85 traffic instead of 485. I briefly contemplated going to the Whitewater Center which was just a few minutes away, but was worried about not having cash for parking. Instead we ended up at Robert L. Smith Park. This was a new park for us and we had such a great time! There were about 30 young men playing disc golf while we were there, along with plenty of dog walkers, joggers, and parents with young children. The playground was so close to the airport there were probably 50 planes that passed overhead in all directions throughout the hour we were there.

The playground was clean with a large variety of play structures, despite being a somewhat sketchy location. The kids approved!

The trio and I headed home for a quick lunch before we picked Jackson up from school. He requested to go to the park. It was so lovely outside, I took them to yet another park. (There are several dozen  parks within a 30 minute radius of our house. We like to tour them all!)

Jackson taught James and Amelia to go down the slide with their hands in the air. I used to have Jackson pretend he was on a roller coaster and slide down like that. It was really precious watching Jackson take his siblings down the slide and direct them.

Maddie had her reservations about sliding. She just watched. This is totally inappropriate, but we always say Maddie has resting bitch face. She looks so mean sometimes, though she is a total sweetheart. Her eyes looked especially blue in the natural light so I took a picture. 

I told Maddie to smile, and her face immediately changed. Of course, she smiles with her whole face so it's hard to see her baby blues when they're all scrunched up. Silly girl.

We went for a leisurely stroll back to the parking lot. I was relieved that the kids all walked since I didn't bring the wagon.  

It's going to get uncomfortably hot and humid before long, so I feel obligated to enjoy as much outdoor time as possible on days like this. Now I just need a hammock and slightly more independent children.
 😉