Simplicity

Ahh, the simple pleasures in life. This morning we took a walk down to the park while it was still cool. (Right, because it's February and hitting 90 degrees today!) I forgot how much I enjoyed this.

Carson was just over a year when we bought our house. Back then I didn't have much to do, didn't have much $ to spend, and didn't want to drive around wasting gas to spend the money I didn't have. So we walked to the park... a lot. I loved getting outside with Carson and letting him explore nature. He mostly liked sitting and playing in the rocks (that really hasn't changed). After I had Jensen, I couldn't really walk to the park anymore. I only had a single stroller and it was too far for Carson's little legs to walk and too far for me to carry Jensen (even in a sling). And even when we did go to the park, it was hard for Jensen, because he had to sit in my lap, otherwise he would get all dirty and try to eat all the rocks.

But a few weeks ago we took a walk to the park in our double umbrella stroller (not ideal for 'walking' but it gets the job done). I decided to let Jensen get down and play in the rocks (because pretty much all parks here have rocks- I actually prefer it to bark or chewed up tires). After several stern warnings about not putting them in his mouth, he started to play. And it hit me- I like coming to the park. I like watching them discover what rocks do when you drop them, or what a dry leaf feels like between your fingers. Maybe it's the fresh air. Maybe it's because my blood is pumping from the brisk 10 minute walk. Maybe it's because I love to see the smiles on my children's faces. It truly is the simple things that make us really happy. (Even if 'happy' has to include 'dirty!')