A Dreamy Afternoon

These sweet kids are my world. They bring me so much joy, and I am trying to enjoy their sweet childhoods and to help them to enjoy life. For awhile I had an idea in my head that I wanted to "kidnap" the kids after school one day and surprise them with a picnic in the park. Finally one Thursday I decided that "there's no time like the present," so the next day was going to be the day!

I was actually inspired by this quote that I read on my friend Mindy's blog awhile ago. (And it's funny, because the kids' ages in the quote are the exact same ages as our kids right now -- 6, 4, and 1.)

“But the biggest mistake I made is the one that most of us make while doing this. I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is the one picture of the three of them sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting done a little less.” -Anna Quindlen

So we went to the park, and I really tried to make it fun. I packed a big lunch and a soccer ball. That's all you need, really. The kids ate it up -- literally and figuratively! I spread out a blanket, and we enjoyed our lunches of heart-shaped egg-salad sandwiches, strawberries, carrots, and chocolate-chip cookies for dessert. The weather was lovely -- as you can see by what the kids are wearing! It was a dreamy afternoon. Grant had to use the bathroom partway through the picnic, so we went to a friends' house next to the park and ended up inviting them to return to the park with us. We played duck, duck, goose,; freeze tag, etc. They left, and then awhile later a couple of older boys came to the park with a football. I asked them if Aaron and Grant could play with them, and they were so sweet to work with Aaron and Grant on throwing and catching a football. They were so nice and patient with them. It was adorable. We ended up being at the park for almost three hours! It was a lovely way to spend a Friday afternoon. Now I want to do it again! I love these kids! Oh, the simple things ...