Splash-tastic

This afternoon we visited the Splash at Fossil Trace, a splash park in Golden (about 15 minutes from our house). How did we not know about this place before? We had SO MUCH FUN. Sam has a few days off for the holiday weekend, so he was able to come along (at 28 weeks pregnant, it's getting harder and harder for me to keep up with Ryan!).

Here's the central feature of the splash park - lots of different water fountains and medium sized slides, all topped by a 500 gallon bucket, which filled with water and splashed down on everyone about every ten minutes or so.

500 gallons is a LOT of water!

Sam took Ryan to the top of the slide, while I waited to catch him at the bottom. He's been going through closed slides at the playground with his grandparents, so I figured he had the confidence to go down this one.

There are also valve systems where you could turn a wheel "round and round" (as Ryan says) to control the water output.

Dude, where'd the water go?!

We were joined at the park by Jena and David and Sommer and MacKenzie. I'm so glad we have other kiddos the same age as Ryan to hang out with!

The toddlers quickly found a slide that was just their size, and we spent at least a half an hour watching them scoot down, pop up out of the water, and run around to do it all over again.

The little girl in pink looked up at me in my bikini, preggo belly on display, and said, "Are you having TWINS?!"

At the top of every hour the lifeguards called everyone out of the pool for ten minutes of "adult swim" (yeah right, in a pool that's less than a foot deep!). I think it was really so the kids could warm up and have a snack.

Ooh, artificially-colored and flavored cereal! My mom NEVER buys this for me!

David's pirate-themed Hugh Hefner robe...

After they reopened the pool to the kids, Sommer decided to take Kenz down the BIG slide, and Jena and Sam took David and Ryan too. I wasn't sure how Ryan would like it (he does not like getting splashed in the face, just like Mama), but Sam said he giggled all the way down, and immediately signed and said "More! More!" at the bottom (he only uses sign language when he REALLY wants more of something).

Yep, I'd say he's pretty happy...

Camping

I just returned from a 26 hour camping trip (including a four hour round trip drive) at Sterling Reservoir with friends, 18 month old toddler, and big ol' baby belly. At the same time I was packing the last snack cup into the car and hitting the highway, Sam was on a plane to Pittsburgh for a week-long business seminar.

Step One: Con friends into setting up tent for you (thanks Scotty & Max!).

Step Two: Introduce toddler to joys of sleeping outdoors with nothing but a thin layer of nylon between you and the elements. Ryan now has full comprehension and exact pronunciation of the word "tent".

Heck yes I bring a battery operated fan... we all need the white noise to sleep.

Step Three: Head for the water. There were all kinds of toads (we called them frogs, because that what Ryan knows - we'll differentiate species later) and I pretended that boat wakes washing ashore were really ocean waves, just like Anini Beach. It was a thin fantasy - Anini doesn't smell like diesel fuel and dead fish.

Step Four: Practice oar skills. Gotta be ready to guide a cat' through Skull soon.

After an evening of hanging out with friends and missing bedtime by a good three hours (not like we could follow the bath-book-bedtime routine anyway), Ryan slept like a log all night long. I wish I could say the same, but 1/2 inch thick air mattresses do not support a pregnant belly too well. The next morning Kevin took us and the Wedlakes out for a very mellow cruise on the motorboat. Ryan was instantly annoyed by the lifejacket (can't say I blame him!).

I can't tell if he's terrified and waiting for it all to be over or falling asleep here. He did squawk pretty ferociously when the spray hit us, though (can't say I blame him for that, either - it was COLD!).

Once ashore and the offending life jacket removed, all is right with the universe.