*** Playground Fun ***

It is a typical summer evening after we get home from work. Benjamin is excited to ride his tricycle to the nearest playground. The air is warm, birds are singing, joggers go by with their dogs happily tagging along. Benjamin simply loves dogs, always pointing at them when they go by.

The tricycle is great, which mom picked out. It has a handle that allows her to steer and the pedals ratchet, so Benjamin won't suddenly slam on the brakes and send everyone involved to call their insurance agent.

When we get near the playground, Benjamin will jump off of his tricycle and start running towards the playground. He simply loves all the variety this playground offers.

The first stop is the sandbox. When he first encountered it, he didn't understand how much fun it is playing in the sand. After mom bought him a sand bucket and shovel, he went to town. He loves to dig and throw sand.

Mom created this little village of sand castles for Benjamin to admire. He suddenly turned into Babyzilla, destroying the poor sand village. This sounds like a great plot for a cheesy horror film.

This was a slide that terrorized Benjamin at first. He was very anxious to go through it, unsure of what lay in store at the other end of the tunnel. After he realized that it was dad, he suddenly found that sliding through it was great fun.

This is the twisty slide that gave Benjamin heartburn, until he went down it the first time, then it was history. Now this is his favorite slide at this playground. When I take him here without mom, it's always nerve-racking for me because the platform is about 8 feet off of the ground. I have to help him up and then quickly run around to catch him at the bottom. Fortunately for me, Benjamin listens and waits for me to tell him to "go".

Weeeeeee!

Mom snapped this quick picture of us sliding across the rip line.

Mom giving him a great time sliding across. Benjamin has such a strong grip, I'm amazed at how well he can hold on...I think the sticky fruit he normally has on his hands only help.

Going home after he has played is always a challenge, he LOVES the playground. After we distract him, he will usually start talking about whatever he sees on the way home. We're amazed at how quickly he is growing and how heavy he is to carry!