ye olde park

we took a walk the other day around the neighborhood and visited our old stomping grounds - our neighborhood tot park - Los Altos Plaza Park...this park has such a special place in my heart - we met so many wonderful people - moms, dads, playmates, friends, nannies, etc. we moved into our place when bryson was 16 months and this was the perfect park. not only the park itself - gated...low structure...clean - but also the fact that a group of regulars met there nearly every weekday from 10-12.

bryson developed his first friendships there. i watched him as he matured from not giving two licks about other kids to devloping interactive play with friends. i watched as he learned to climb and slide by himself and (to my horror) jump off of high things. he and bryan would golf in the outside grass area and he and the other kids would kick a ball...and fight over said ball...and figure it out as kids do. we would hunt for mushrooms and play in the fall leaves and celebrate many a friend's birthday there...not to mention potlucks for baby showers and good-bye parties.

as all good things must see an end so did our park days here...the kids grew up and many of them entered pre-school and our regular meetings there turned into once or twice a week and then no more. when we visited the other day there were no familiar faces...in fact the park was empty. bryson is a little big for it now - he likes it for about 30 minutes at a stretch. bodie was content to sit in the stroller and look earnestly at us and ponder why we would want to be up and about.

it was a good reminder at how precious this time with young children is. how quickly they grow. how relationships come and go and the good ones remain constant in the background like a soundtrack. i picture us coming back when bodie is figuring out how to walk and climb and slide and letting him figure it out in this *safe* park while brother finds a nice tree to climb or a nice platform to jump from.

i look forward to the new friendships to be forged and new parks to be discovered and the continuing awe and excitement my boys bring me...feeling truly blessed.