park day

i'm feeling the pressure to be a slave to avery's nap times which leads to a lot of time spent inside. on these cold, rainy days, it's not so bad but when the sun finally came out, i was feeling stressed that i wasn't getting ben outside. it was definitely avery's nap time but i had to meet someone to pick up something i was buying from the kids swap site on facebook. wouldn't you know there was a park across the street from where i was meeting? and ben spotted it? i thought avery had fallen asleep in the car seat (i couldn't quite tell because i had a blanket draped over her car seat but she seemed very still) so i said, "sure, let's go to that park!" i parked, pulled ben out of the truck and set him loose then went around to the other side of the truck to pull the car seat out. when i peeked under the blanket, i realized avery wasn't asleep at all and now it was over an hour after she should have been sleeping. (i know this makes me sound like a crazy person - oh well) it was too late to turn around and tell ben that we couldn't stay so i took avery out in her car seat, plopped her down on the edge of the playground and figured we'd stay until she was wailing. ben got some good playing in. it was a gorgeous day.

ben really wanted to swing in the baby swings, of which there were two. there were two moms standing by the swings talking up a storm with their swarms of children milling around them. (it was weird - like about 7 kids but none were playing, they seemed to all just be standing around) one baby swing had a toddler in it who had fallen asleep. the other baby swing had a 6 or 7 year old in it who was not swinging but just sitting there stuck while the moms were engrossed in their conversation. ben was pretty desperate to swing so we stood around near the swings which i found awkward because i didn't want the moms to think i was listening to them but i wanted them to the get the hint that ben wanted a turn. they didn't get the hint. after many long minutes, the 7 year old asked her mom to get out of the swing and after another couple minutes, the mom noticed her kid and took her out. ben charged the empty swing. i got him in and he had a great time swinging though he was very intrigued by the kid who was asleep in the swing next to him.

after a couple minutes, it was close to lunch, avery was still awake, and i told ben that it was time to go. as we walked towards the car, the group of kids from the swings were standing around a mud puddle throwing rocks while their moms called unconvincingly, "get away from there! come on! time to go!". the kids didn't move a muscle. i said to ben, "why don't you throw a couple rocks in that puddle while mommy puts avery in the car?" (this is about 3 metres from the car ON grass - not in a parking lot) ben loves to throw rocks in puddles so he starts looking for a good one while i got the truck unlocked, the car seat in, and i turned around to go back for ben. i turn around in time to see ben trying to walk around the kids by stepping onto a dirt pile...but the dirt pile was a disguise for a mud sink hole. ben sinks right in and is screaming because he can't get out. i rush over, step onto a different dirt pile, and sink in to my ankles. oh. my. goodness. my entire converse sneaker cannot be seen because it is in mud. i don't panic. i pull out my kid, throw him to dry land, bootless, then trying to rescue his boots and myself, i take another step. i sink my one clean converse sneaker deep, deep into more mud. yes, the strange group of kids are still standing there. now, the mothers are standing there too. everyone cannot believe that i'm up to my ankles in mud (i assume they can't believe it because i sure can't). i step out of the sink hole and manage to keep both shoes on my feet though you wouldn't know it because all we can see is mud. i don't let it show on my face that i'm surprised or upset and the one mom says, "they should put a fence around this area." "yeah," i reply. and then ben and i walk away, ben wailing BECAUSE HE LOST HIS ROCK. you've got to be kidding me, ben. standing outside the truck, i strip ben down (he also fell in the mud in his struggle to get out) to just his shirt and his pull-up, all while using a happy voice so that he calms down. i took off my shoes, rolled up my pants, put all offensive clothes/shoes in the trunk, and we went home.

let me just say, this day's nap time was most appreciated.