The Great Outdoors

Ava's love for The Great Outdoors continues. Hallelujah! Matt and I are still thrilled that Ava seems to enjoy being outside more than she does being inside. Call us old fashioned (or just old, in Matt's case), but we will be throwing our kids in the backyard to play, instead of throwing them the remote. Sure, the TV catches Ava's attention every once in a while. She looks and stares at the TV for about 2 seconds and then she is on to something else.

Last week we enjoyed the unusually warm October weather and took Ava to the park. Ava has been down slides before, but none quite as fast or as twisty as the one seen below. I will have you know that the static electricity on this slide was in full swing. Had my head not been smashed against the roof of the slide in this picture, you would have seen my hair in it's electrified state.... 2 feet tall.

Yesterday was a fun filled day for all parties involved. Matt and I had the privilege of watching Tucker while his mom and dad were at an out-of-town wedding. Not having to care for a three year old boy on a regular basis led to some interesting scenarios throughout the day. You'll see what I mean...

Our first stop for the day was Triad Park. If you haven't been, you need to go. It's pretty awesome. As soon as we got out of the car, Tucker ran toward the slide....

Interesting Scenario #1: Tucker comes down the slide and says, "My pants are all wet... and COLD!" Did he have an accident in his pants? No. Absent-minded me didn't realize that there was a thin layer of dew covering the slide. That thin layer of dew soaked through the back of his pants on this particularly chilly morning. We quickly moved over to the swings (Ava's favorite), which were conveniently located in the warm sunshine. Not a drop of dew in sight.

 

Did I mention the swings are Ava's favorite?

 

After swinging and playing to our heart's content, we headed over to The Natural Science center. During our car ride, Tucker serenaded us with, "The B-I-B-L-E, that's the book for me. I stand alone on the word of God... the B-I-B-L-E!" Then, as if I hit 'shuffle' on an iPod, Tucker went from singing the Bible song to, "She wears high heels, I wear sneakers. She's cheer captain and I'm on the bleachers... Why can't you seeeeeeeeee, you belong with meeeeee?"  Me: Tucker, where did you learn that song? Tucker: My mom's computer. Busted! Actually, I'm a fan too... I guess having Taylor Swift on one's computer wouldn't be nearly as embarrassing as say, LFO. :)

Tucker and Ava loved looking at all of the animals. Here they are with a Wallaby named Jupiter. Jupiter was just inches away from Ava's stroller for several minutes. By the time I had the bright idea to take out my camera, he had hopped to the other side of the fence.

After only looking at most of the animals, it was time to touch some. Tucker was very gentile with the goats and sheep. He even took the time to brush them....

Interesting Scenario #2: After brushing the animals, Tucker was determined to feed them. He gingerly picked up several pieces of straw and placed them in front of the animal's mouths. After several unsuccessful attempts, Tucker decided to try and feed the animals something else. Poop. Yep, in the 2 seconds it took for me to turn around to look at Ava, Tucker had picked up a piece of goat poop. Petting Zoo complete. Thank the Lord for soap, hand sanitizer and more soap.

Interesting Scenario #3: I didn't capture any pictures of this scenario and after reading, you'll understand why. Let's just say after a hard day of play, we came back to Tucker's house where he needed to take care of some bathroom business. While Matt was supervising the situation, Tucker explained in detail, exactly what was going on. The brutal honestly of a 3 year old boy can be quite entertaining.

Lessons learned from our outdoor & babysitting adventures? 1. We are thankful for this beautiful world God created for us to enjoy. 2. Play hard, nap harder. 3 Tucker is hilarious. 4. Marc & Lauren may never again ask us to watch their son. :)