Our Family's Blessings: Neighborhood Parks

"Why am I stuck in this stroller and not walking around?"

When it is not raining, we have been trying to get outside and enjoy the great parks in our neighborhood. These first pictures are at Fancyburg park. There is an area along the path to the playground that has a short trail of large rocks. I am not really sure what they are for, except for kids to explore. Eliana and I really like checking it out. William joined in with us one day. He was pretty excited about it, but he is not quite up for the rugged terrain yet. He doesn't want to be carried around, but when I let him cruise and explore, he tends to fall and cry. So he is not usually invited on these special rock exploring trips.

He so wishes he could walk.

She goes up and down the line of rocks. What a cool part of the park!

So to continue the exploration of more natural parts of local parks, we have also been visiting Reed Rd Park that has a little creek running along the side of it. Eliana really loves this place. Once again, the age difference with William and Eliana poses a challenge. Eliana wants to be in the water checking everything out but William is not quite there yet. He loves playing in the water, but it is hard to keep a hand on both kids on this uneven ground. It makes me so happy though that these kids love nature. All they need is some rocks and dirt, and they are entertained for hours. We have come back to the creek several times with Eliana dressed in a swimsuit so she can really play. The water level is pretty high this summer due to all the rain. In one area, the water gets up to her waist, which she really likes to walk through, but she definitely gets nervous and wants me close by to hold her hand if necessary.

Our first time visiting the creek, so we tried to stay dry. Eliana likes to throw rocks in that deep area.

William is checking out a rock. It was very difficult to keep him dry. That's why we wore swimsuits the next time.

This was a more recent trip to Fancyburg park along with some friends (it was unseasonably cold for July). William was having a blast walking around, which he could actually do with the flatter ground. One of the cutest things was Amelia helping all of the younger girls. Amelia is five, but she was still able to lift both Eliana and Adele up into the swings, and then proceeded to push them both! She was so sweet! Later, she helped Eliana up on the balance beam and held her hand so she could walk across. She even cautioned Eliana on the bumpy part that is would be more difficult. When did these babies turn into little responsible people?