Thanks for the help

For trips to the park, it is no longer good enough to provide transportation, snacks, and a drink. I also have to provide a good park (not any park will do these days), and, most importantly, friends. Otherwise my son considers me a failure. I have a hard enough time remembering to pack a snack (so my kid is always the starved one mooching off your kid), let alone having the foresight to arrange a meeting there with some friends. But today was different! In David's estimation, I finally came through with a successful trip to the park. I couldn't have done it alone. I owe a big thank you to the Thompsons, the Mainords, and Centerville-Washington Township.

Thank you to the Centerville-Washington Township Parks Department for providing a super activity at a super park. This park has always been a favorite, with its sprayground and fun playground, but today it was extra fabulous--with a firetruck that sprayed a massive amount of bubbles!

Also, thank you to Lisa for telling me about this event--it's been on my calendar for months--and for planning to meet us there. David loves to play with her children. Nothing gets David's little bum out the door faster than telling him we're on our way to meet Seth. Seth and David are the same age, and play like two peas in a pod. David also loves to follow Seth's older sisters around.

Thank you to Gina for arriving right when we did. I had told David we were meeting friends at the park, but I could tell he was skeptical. I was envisioning thirty minutes of listening to David whine, "I need my friends! I need my friends!" But we pulled in just as the Thompsons did, and David lit up like a light bulb. Joseph and Caleb are always a good time (grand schemes and big imaginations), and if there's one thing David loves, it's a good time. (The best part was that I got all the credit for magically producing these two very fun friends!)

I do deserve a little credit though. I remembered a towel, some blankets, a snack (so David's mooching was at a minimum), and a bottle of water. And the camera:

Mary and David lounging around (with their hands in their mouths):

Mary trying to steal some of David's snack:
David preventing Mary from stealing his snack (this is second nature for him now):

The climax--a soap bubble mosh pit for tots, thanks to the fire department. Here is David--no shirt, green swim trunks--playing with Seth in the bubbles--Seth is the tan, blond boy on the right with the blue swim trunks:
I love this picture! This is Alexis (Seth's oldest sister) leading David by the hand. A couple of weeks ago we were at a park, and Alexis took David's hand and led him over to look at a pond. Ever since then, he has told me repeatedly, "I need more Alexis hold my hand!" I often think David needs an older sister (he really likes to play with older girls), but, alas, he has a baby sister instead. Lucky for him, Alexis is a wonderful big sister to her siblings and doesn't mind nurturing David too:

This is David and Seth waiting for their turn to be rinsed off with a real fire hose:

All in all, I think David considered our trip to be a success. (Though, there were a lot of people there--and I think it was a little overwhelming for him. It was for me! He was usually lost in a sea of children, and I just had to hope he would turn up eventually.)

On the way home David begged to go to Wendy's. But--despite the fact I had remembered the snacks, the sunscreen, the blankets, the towel, the water, the change of clothes, the baby backpack, the camera, the sunglasses, the extra pacifier, the wipes, and the friends--I had forgotten my wallet. Oh well. I'm not perfect. Even with help.