The Park

What a face

Saturday was a beautiful cloudless semi-cool day and I decided I was taking my boy to the park.  Ever since one of my friends posted photos of her baby girl swinging in the baby swings at Hermann Park it's been in the back of my mind that I needed to take Simon there.  I've never been there except to go to Miller Outdoor Theater once a few years ago.  I knew it was big and hoped I could find the swings.  I also hoped I could find a place to park.

I found the park okay and the parking okay.  What I hadn't thought through was that it was the first nice Saturday we'd had in some time.  I hadn't thought parking would be so horrible.  But after what seemed like forever I got us parked.  As soon as I got the car in park Simon started screaming.  I thought, oh no boy.  It's not gonna be this way.  I told him we were going to have fun, darnit, because I didn't just drive 40 minutes plus another 15 in the parking lot to have a cranky baby not appreciate what I was doing for him.  It did the trick because he quieted down.  I set my Carrr Matey and we were off. 

I knew roughly where the playground was and so I headed off in that direction.  We passed the train station, the paddle boats, and then finally I could see the playground... that had yellow caution tape all around it.  Then I saw the other playground across the way with the exact swings I came for only to see it fenced in.  They were apparently re-doing the surface of the playground.  Boy, was I mad!  I couldn't believe it.  But, I tried to make the best of it.  It was still a gorgeous day and we were still in this gorgeous park.  So we walked the trails and watched the duckies in the lake.  We saw some doggies and sat in the sparse winter grass.  Simon tried to eat the sparse winter grass.  It was kind of cool to see my boy getting his hands in the earth.  He doesn't spend nearly enough time outside but I also feel like he's just starting to be an age where he can really appreciate nature.

Chillaxin' on the bench

My lips were really chapped so we ventured to the gift shop to see if they had any chap stick.  Sure enough they did.  When I was in line to pay I figured, what the heck.  I had the cashier throw in a ticket for the train.  I couldn't take my boy on the swings but I could take him on the train.  I wasn't sure if he'd care in the least.  That's why we didn't do it sooner.  But I was having fun and I wanted him to ride the train.  By then it was starting to get even cooler.  The train didn't go that fast but it felt pretty windy and I was not feeling like Mother of the Year for having Simon out in just a thin jacket when it was so chilly.  We were definitely going after the train. 

It wasn't long after we left the station that I saw something.  It was another set of baby swings!  And they weren't padlocked shut!  When we got off the train we were going to find the swings.  So that's just what we did.  After his complete indifference to the train I wasn't sure how he'd react to the swings.  I was hoping for something more than "meh."  Well, he seemed to really have fun.  That's when I took one of my favorite pictures of hm ever.

I'm swingin'!

Maybe it was the sense of victory.  Maybe it was just that I was having so much fun or that he had so much fun on the swings, but I really love this picture.  It was a lovely day with no computers, no tv.  Just me and my boy outside.  

I then turned on my Carrr Matey and it said the car was less than 100 yards in that direction.  I couldn't believe it.  If I had just looked behind me when we got there I could have taken him on swings right away.  But I think that was the way our day was meant to be and it was perfectly lovely.  Going back is definitely on the agenda for his birthday with maybe a trip to the zoo thrown in for good measure.  I'm just glad his birthday isn't on a weekend.