A Picnic in the Park

   After going grocery shopping yesterday, I took the kids to the park.  I happened to find it on accident about a week ago and determined to "check it out".   Its hard to find a park with the old fashioned toys in it, like Merry-go-arounds, old metal slides, see-saws, and rides on big old rusty springs.  Those were the fun toys!  I spotted them from the road as we drove past and determined that we'd make this park a favorite!  It wasn't hard, either.  :)  Most parks and playgrounds have modern play places and jungle gyms, which are fine, but I miss the old stuff.  I spent first, and a little bit of second grade at a tiny country school in Ohio.  I remember during recess, the high school boys would come and spin us little kids on the old metal merry-go-around.  By the way, no one ever got hurt...  I get so irritated at times the way people try to "protect" our kids from so much as a stubbed toe!  A few scratches and bruises never hurt me!  Everything is made out of plastic these days, and have so many warnings, rules, and safety features that the poor child can't even enjoy it anymore.  Anyway, I was happy to see an old fashioned park like the ones I used to play in.  And my kids had the biggest time!  And would you believe it!  Christian won't go near those big plastic slides on modern play places.  But he made a bee line for the big metal slide in the picture below, even though it towered over my head!  He climbed to the top with no hesitation and came whizzing down as if it were three feet high!  I was stunned!  I admit, I was standing under the slide, a little nervous, ready to catch him if he tumbled off!  Christian is normally my cautious one, but he threw caution to the wind for the first time in his little life!  He LOVED that big metal slide.  He still wouldn't go down the plastic ones at the park.  :)  We'd stopped at Taco Bell and got some bean burritos.  I know, not much of a picnic, but it was fun in a pinch.  :)  Someday, we're going to pack up our basket with REAL picnic food and head to the lake for the day.  I told Andy that would make a wonderful birthday date.  :) 

   Missions Conference is this weekend!   A later post on that...

My sewing project for our missions conference this weekend.  Andy needed something to cover the frames that he built to hold the flags.  I had to make four of these for the church auditorium. 

Andy with Audra on Sunday morning