Day at the park

For a while I've been looking forward to taking Madeline back to Maymont Park (we went on my birthday last year). She generally loves seeing dogs and cats and squirrels, so I figured she would get a kick out of seeing all the barn animals.

Today we packed a picnic lunch and headed to the park (apparently along with every other family with young kids in the greater metropolitan area). While Madeline enjoyed seeing the animals, she seemed to focus more on all the screaming kids running around. I guess if the animals were more vocal and active she would have been mesmerized by them instead. She eventually lost patience and squirmed to be put down so she could run about on her own.

But the day was far from a wash. Other members of our family joined us at the park, and we had the most fun just playing in an open field away from the kids and animals. Madeline walked between and among relatives, kicking a soccer ball and playing with leaves. And she had a big smile the entire time. Later we walked to another area of the park to see other animals. Madeline had a great time - talking happily and pointing at everything that caught her attention. By the time we returned to the car a couple hours later she was completely pooped and could hardly hold her eyes open.

We'll definitely be returning to Maymont as the spring and summer approach. It's a local gem for parents of small (and not-so-small) kids - it's free, interactive entertainment for an afternoon. It was fun watching Madeline have fun today - it seemed like she was truly happy to be surrounded by so many of her family members and just to be allowed to run free for a while.