true boy tales: Splashing in the City

Monday, August 16, 2010

Splashing in the City

Today my sister and I headed downtown with the 4 kiddos to one of the fountains in Des Moines. More of a cement stream than a fountain. It was one of those excursions that was utterly perfect. Its on the same block as a Starbucks, so obviously that's a huge bonus. Iced chai latte's for us, petite vanilla bean scones for the kidlets. The weather was spectacular. Nice and hot but lots of clouds and breezy. Bennett and Piper got to explore the stream that runs the length of a block. And Dawson and Quinn even got in on the action. The water was only 5 or 6 inches deep everywhere so they crawled and climbed and splashed. It was just so fun to be in the middle of the city too. I think we both said at least 3 times, "man, this is just perfect!". Not a single whine, fit, tantrum or fight. (That's what defines the good and the bad these days). Until it was time to go and realized I forgot dry clothes for Bennett, Bethany forgot a dry diaper for Quinn and we both forgot to pay the meter. So we wrapped up our naked babies and accepted the $15 fine. A small price to pay for a few hours of playdate perfection.

3 comments:

Nana JudieAugust 16, 2010 at 10:07 PM
Everytime i walk by this i think "Bennett would love it!" and by these pics..he sure does!
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EmilyAugust 17, 2010 at 8:05 AM
That's one of our favorite places! Josh works across the street so we often head there on his lunch break so the boys can splash. It's perfect!
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GregSeptember 1, 2010 at 1:18 PM
I love the one of Bdog getting a drink!
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for the book lovers {my recent favorites}:

Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan: An incredibly haunting medical memoir. There's a lot of medical info to read through but I didn't find those parts boring and difficult to wade through. I thought she shared just enough. But if you like a book that's easy to read, this isn't it. I couldn't get this one out of my mind for a very long time. An unforgettable true story.
Me Before You by JoJo Moyes and What Alice Forgot by Lianne Moriarty: I'm just going to lump these two together because they're in the same category. I'm calling them deep chick lit. A perfect summer book to get lost in. Read them. Both. I promise you from the bottom of my heart that you will LOVE them. (I liked them both way better than Where'd You Go, Bernadette.)
These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner: Most of my favorite books have a main character with a whole lotta grit. I wasn't quite sure about this one when I first started it but, oh, did it sweep me in and not let me go til the last page. I also love a book that makes me "emote out loud" as I like to think of it. This one had me smiling all the way through and crying my eyes out at the end. It follows a young girl through her life in the Arizona Territories in the late 1800's. A must read for anyone who likes Historical Fiction.
Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill. I LOVED this book. Its a very well researched historical fiction novel about a young girl kidnapped from her village in Africa and sold into slavery. It follows her through her whole life and the unbelievable heartache and trauma she lives through. I've been telling people I liked it as much as Unbroken but the main character is so much more endearing and has so much spunk.
Another Place at the Table by Kathy Harrison. I have a thing for modern day memoirs of utterly heartbreaking stories (Like Breaking Night and Blackbird). This is a Foster mother's first-hand account of the children she took in over the years and the unbelievable trauma they went through before they came to her.
Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls. I loved this lighthearted yet emotional story of a strong woman making the best of a hard life in the Southwest, beginning in the 1930's. I love her writing style--just cuts to the point of every story without too much "fluff" and yet tells it in a way that you can picture everything in vivid detail. Her memoir, The Glass Castle, is one of my all-time favorites, and this true-life novel about her grandmother didn't disappoint.
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. Modern day fiction about a girl raised in Foster homes and her struggles throughout life. She learns about the Victorian Era language of flowers and that becomes a huge part of her life. I finished it in two days. An easy read but very emotional and moving.
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers. The true story of a man's experience after Hurricane Katrina when he decided not to evacuate in order to look after several properties he owned. Quite an unbelievable story and so hard to believe this happened in the US only a few years ago.