Days at the park...

I've scoured every block within a 1-mile radius of our place here in Wheaton, and there must be over 15+ available parks for the kids to use. Okay...okay...I grew up here so I already knew where they all were - but I have checked them out and taken the kids to many of them. It has become one of the more favorite past times of Elizabeth, Sammy and I. We have 2 or 3 that our favorites and I snapped a couple pictures so you all could see some updates of the kids. The park I snapped all the pictures at is made specifically for 2-5 year olds which is great. Elizabeth can safely (this is key) play on every object there which allows me to focus about half my time on Sammy so he doesn't feel left out.

Underneath the slide shown in the picture above there is a little table with benches to sit at. Elizabeth thinks this is a dinner table and always brings me sand food and wood chip drinks to taste - yummy. For those of you that enjoy my own personal suffering, I've hit my head near bleeding multiple times on the walk way above this table. This little bench also seems to be where all the kids like to congregate in the playground, even Sammy likes it there (e.g. silly smile to the right).

Connecting two separate pieces of the equipment are this mesh metal tube that the kids like to climb through. Elizabeth asked me to try - so I foolishly did. I'm not sure if I am just a) Old or b) much heavier than she is - but those little strips of metal went digging into my surgically repaired knee. Two things followed - immense pain lasting 1 minute and then numbness for several more. Needless to say, dad will no longer be going through the tunnel. Instead, I just walk on top of it which freaks Elizabeth out and no doubt provides Sam with aspirations to do something similar which will simply worry me.

We miss everyone in Richmond but are enjoying getting reconnected in Wheaton. I've signed on to be a youth leader for a small group of guys in Student Body (Wheaton Bible Church's high school ministry). Tonight is the first night that I'll be going to the small group so pray that the other leader, the boys and I will be able to break down barriers and build some new friendships. In a situation like this, its easy to have huge visions of all the great talks you will have and spiritual growth you will be able to impart on the youth - but as a book I've been reading reminds me - the problem with that is that it is about YOU. Mind you, it is good to try and have deep talks and help people grow...but...this core group might grow by 300% or it might fade away. It is important for me not to get overly excited or disappointed by either of those - rather - to know that God has a plan for me and the boys, and to lean on him for help as we proceed through the year.