a two-park day

Gus (with carousel ticket), Jake and Sophie at Franklin Square Park

Today was one of those amazing summer days that makes me so thankful that I have the luxury of staying home with the boys. We spent the morning at "our playground" playing baseball and digging in the dirt with Mack and Jack, Lexi, Luka and Layla and their nannies Clair, Ashley and Jessica. The kids get along so well and the nannies do not seem to mind me hanging out with them. They are in their early twenties, so I imagine I seem pretty old and out of it. I love listening to them talk about their employer and their boyfriend gripes. Ahhhh. I am so content right now.

In the afternoon we made our weekly trip to Franklin Square Park to meet Linh, Sophie and Ava and Jake and his babysitter Tara. When Sheri gets out of work she comes to the park and Tara goes home. I always think Gus understands who everyone is but that is just not the case. When he noticed Tara was gone, he walked up to Sheri and asked, "Sheri, where Jake's other mummy go?" We all got a good chuckle out of that. (Really, Gus? Equal billing for the babysitter? Another reason I'm glad I'm home. But at least you will not bat an eye if you have friends with lesbian mothers.)

I love our trips to Franklin Square. A lot of it has to do with the company. Sheri and Linh are two of the best friends I have made here. And the park is awesome. The playground area is fenced in and the little kid jungle gym is low enough to the ground that I do not worry about Gus falling off it, which frees me up to follow Theo around and remove the twigs, leaves and pebbles that he is determined to eat from his hands (or mouth when I am not fast enough). It has pretty decent restrooms which will come in handy when Gus starts using the toilet. In addition to the playground there is a fountain, carousel and mini-golf. We have not golfed, but we all go on the carousel once a visit. Sometimes park employees make balloon animals for the kids. If we were so inclined we could buy popcorn or ice cream (but that is a precedent I do not want to set). I feel like I am in a story book when I am there.

We have been going to Franklin Square so regularly that we have even started to make "Franklin Square friends." Theo has a buddy, Lucy, who is a few weeks older than he is. They crawl around scavenging together. Lucy reminds me of Gus at that age, as she is a total extrovert. When she sees us she crawls right over to me and pulls herself up on my leg. Though Theo is no shrinking violet. He led Lucy on an ambush of these two seven-month-old girls who were sitting on a blanket playing with toys. Theo and Lucy made a bee line for those toys and would have crawled off with all of them if Maria and I had not intervened. It was so cute. Again, I was too slow with the camera, but I did catch them saying their 'goodbyes' with my cell phone. Isn't summer wonderful?


Lucy and Theo at Franklin Square Park