Park Days |

Since our summer break began, we have been reading books, working on Fair projects and trying to visit area parks. Yesterday, we were blessed to be able to go to Arkadelphia to meet my Mom for lunch. It is such a blessing to be able to visit with her. I have lived very far away from her at different times in my marriage. This is the closest we’ve ever been able to live to her – we are only one hour and fifteen minutes from her house! Arkadelphia is only about a 40 minute drive for each of us, so we often meet there to visit.

We found this wonderful park that has a canopy over the playground as well as some tables under a pavilion so we can sit in the shade to watch the kids. We sat and watched the kiddos and visited early in the day – before the heat and humidity got too severe.

Mitchell and Lauren are my climbers! They sometimes scare me!

Leslie is more sedate – hallelujah. 😉

Laci said this was her “house”. 🙂

Lauren also spent some time walking around the ball fields looking for stray baseballs and running the bases! I should have snapped a picture of her, too! I guess I wasn’t thinking.

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About two weeks ago, we all headed over to Texarkana to visit the library and go to the park. There is a nice park next to the library, but it has very little shade or comfortable seating for parents. We stumbled on this park quite by accident, but we’re so glad we did! It had shaded seating and play areas, as well as a duck pond! The children all loved seeing the ducks, but especially my youngest. She got so excited to hear the “quack” of a duck in person!

Not sure what kind of ducks these were, but they never moved! They let us get extremely close to them. I didn’t let the children get too close, I didn’t trust them. I thought they might snap at them.

Most of the other ducks were these white ones. They were skittish of humans, but my kids tried to get close, nonetheless. 🙂

The little girls were fascinated!

Finally, they all decided to play.

Laci did her climbing, Lauren played tag with some other kids that were there. Mitchell joined in the game, too. They ran and ran and ran…I wish I could have one tenth of their energy! 🙂

Leslie played on the playground the whole time.

Each of them were exhausted on the way home! That is how I know they had fun!

I wanted to close the post with this photo, below. I snapped this mother duck caring for her ducklings. She so tenderly kept them beneath her wings, protecting them. When in the water, the babies stayed very close to her side. I once read the quote “Motherhood is the basket in which I’ve placed all my eggs.” I thought that saying was true for me, too. I have not chosen a secular career, I’ve chosen to spend my days with my little “ducklings”, keeping them close at hand. I love watching my children run and play, I love eating around the table with them each evening, and I love tucking them into their beds at night. I am so thankful to the Lord for giving me many little ones to raise for Him, and I pray they always do His will.