King of the Playground

This time of year, we have to take advantage of sunny days when we get them! Today Seleia and Elora wanted to go practice shooting some hoops, so we headed on over to the playground by our old house. Amarra basically grew up there because we used to walk there so often, but this was Dashiell's first trip. And he had so.much.fun. He went back and forth...going down the little slide by himself and the big slides with the girls, chasing the basketballs and running his heart out, swinging, climbing, running through the soccer fields while giggling maniacally. We all had a blast, but watching Dash dominate the playground with a smile from ear to ear was awesome. I know some kiddos who will sleep very well tonight!

Science Playground

While Seleia and Elora take their science classes at OMSI, Amarra, Dash and I usually head upstairs to play at the Science Playground, a space packed with sensory, motor skill and educational goodness specifically geared for kids aged 0-6. Amarra has a particular fondness for the pulley system and Dashiell, well, he loooves those bean bags! I'm just going to have to break down and make him some to play with at home. Simple pleasures, I find, are often the best, and in this case that definitely holds true! He will laugh, laugh, laugh while retrieving bean bags and placing them through slots of various shapes and sizes. Amarra, generally encouraging him from the other side of said slots, will then gather up the bean bag bounty, take them to the pulley, and deliver them back up to her brother.  Again.  And again. And them a few more times. I just get to sit back, make sure nobody (Dash) topples down the stairs, and enjoy the show. Everybody wins!

The Farmer's Market

One of our favorite family outings has always been the Farmer's Market. I get excited about shopping for food the way most women get about shopping for shoes. I mean real, honest to goodness food from the earth....not some chemicals and noodles in a box trying to pass itself off as such. The beauty of fresh peppers, the imperfection of carrots straight out of the ground, the smell of fresh parsley, cilantro or scallions...these things never fail to make me happy. I can't resist a stalk of brussel sprouts or a cute little basket of blueberries.The medley of greens, reds, oranges, yellows, purples....The smells of the vegetables, fruits, and flowers mingling with hot coffee, kettle corn, elephant ears and plates overflowing with yakisoba noodles....to me is at once calming, soothing, uplifting. Talking with the people that actually grew and picked my food, learning about their practices and sharing recipes...

Have I mentioned that I love the Farmer's Market?


Together we ooh and aah at the food, the flowers (yes, even the delicious jams and jellies!), the jewelry, the artisan crafts, and all the goodies the market has to offer.  The wagon always starts off the day giving rides to our children, but eventually it gets filled with our bounty and they have to climb out, but they never seem to mind.  (Then they get to pull the wagon, after all.) When we're done we head to the nearby playground, always a treat at the end of the trip as the girls run, climb, flip, slide, and always make new friends.

I can't think of a much better way to spend an afternoon!