Without a doubt, that was the best $6.55 I've spent in years. We stayed an hour and made memories that, at least for two of us, will likely last a lifetime.
The girls were both fairly timid at first, not sure what to really do with the splash pad area, but the cool water, though it stung our hot skin, felt good. Miss Mouse soon realized that there was a separate, massive kiddie pool, so we headed that direction to explore. We spent a good half hour in the kiddie pool, chasing leaves, playing Ring-Around-the-Rosies, Miss Mouse "practicing" floating on her back, hanging onto the sides and kicking legs, and just generally giggling and having a ball. The kiddie pool was quiet; we had it mostly to ourselves.
After 30 minutes in the kiddie pool, we decided to re-explore the splash pad area. This time, the girls had warmed up and were raring to go! We sprayed each other with water gun-type toys, ran through fountains, stood under pails to have water dumped on our heads, laughing and squealing the whole time. And when I use the words "we" and "our", I truly mean to include myself! The hot sun dried the drops of water on our skin nearly instantly, keeping us warm and allowing us to play and play. Instead of feeling oppressive, the heat combined with flying drops of cold water became comforting and balancing.
As I played with my little Mice, I could hardly wipe the grin off my face. I'm sure I looked ridiculous, but I had as much fun as they did. Every now and then we have an experience through which I'm made aware of how content I am with my "career choice". The world seems to constantly bombard us with what we should have, what we don't have, how happy those things would make us....how success is all wrapped up in how much money you make, how many hours you put in a week, how many and what types of awards you've gotten, where you've been published, and on and on and on. As the drops of water hit my head, so did the realization that right where I was - in a splash pad with my tiny girls on a Monday afternoon - was the epitome of success. Every now and then I need that reminder because from a very young age I pursued the success of achievement and public recognition; I've gotten awards and been published, but the career path I have chosen now offers little in the way of public recognition, sometimes leading me to start feeling insignificant, wasteful even.
And then I spend an hour at splash pad watching my two little loves squeal and run through equipment decorated in bright primary colors, blue sky above, and I get my reminder. That hour meant more than any public award could ever.
Sunny Mouse was most taken by the leaves that had blown into the pool, apparently in the storms from the previous night. Another note is that most pictures I have of her in the splash pad are of her back running away from me!
As Grandma Kathy called her last week at the "swimming lake", Sunny Mouse is our "fearless leader"....she led us into the swimming lake and led us to the kiddie pool yesterday, jumping in fearlessly (though she did it while constantly being forced to hold my hand).
This speaks for itself I believe.
Miss Mouse hasn't stopped talking about the splash pad. I am so glad we discovered it in time to go twice!
My little independent one. She'd really prefer to sunscreen herself.
*These pictures were all taken on our second visit to the splash pad on Thursday with Grammy. Silly Mommy had forgotten my camera the first day....but the ones I got Thursday hopefully illustrate what I saw on Monday, as well.
2 comments:
It was a great time spent and the pictures turned out great as you promised!!!!! LOVE MOM/GRAMMY
Thanks for the Splash Pad update. I hope you can enjoy it even more times before the cooler days of fall come.
I want to remind you that you are doing what I, and many teachers, consider to be the most important job there is, and, unfortunately, the assurance of having done a good job is not recognized for many years which makes it even harder than the jobs that give frequent reassurance such as salaries and awards...Thanks for doing it. Apparently that is why I found as a teacher that many parents did an outstanding job with the first children and seemed to wear out as the families got bigger. It is a tough job that only those who are dedicated and internally motivated can continue to do day in and day out.
Accept my thanks for all you are doing for your little family.
Love, Auntie Linda
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