A New Hobby

Well, with the beautiful change in weather, Ellie and I have adopted a new hobby.  SWINGING!

Here's a little back story before we get to the ridiculously cute pictures...

We have a park conveniently located right across the street from our house, so there's really no excuse for us to not get out and get some exercise on a regular basis.  No really, there's no excuse.  I've looked for one.  Can't find it.  Doesn't exist.  I have to go.  Andy and I started going together in the evenings back in the fall.  We decided to make it a regular thing - kind of like a date.  That lasted about 2 weeks and then it got cold and we couldn't go any more.  Darn.  I mean, it was nice to have the time to talk - don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed that part - but I'm far too lazy for this whole exercising thing.  But when the weather got nice, I felt bad for keeping my child indoors just because I'm too lazy to put on real pants and shoes.  She would gaze out the window and point at the park and smile at the people walking by and I would just click play on the next episode of Dr. Quinn.  Wednesday afternoon, I decided that I was getting a *little* too close to winning the Worst-Mom-Ever Award and dragged myself outside for a walk.

Best. Decision. Ever.  (Well, at the very least, it was the best one all week.)

So we put on our pants and shoes (I promise I really do wear pants in my house, they're just more suitable for sleeping than public viewing) and headed out the door.  I got her all buckled into the strolled and we made it out of the driveway (and then turned back to shut the garage door because I have trust issues) and down into the park.  The skateboarders were skating and the birds were chirping and the sun was shining and it was just an all around lovely day.  And then, I saw it.  The swing set.  When we moved in, the park was just a walking path around a large field, a parking lot, a pavilion, and a skate park.  Then, about a week later, they broke ground for the swing set.  Now it has 4 fully functional swings, 2 of which are toddler-style.  And it is very popular.  But at this time of the afternoon, it was completely unoccupied.  Ellie's never ridden swings before (other than the infant swing that only *sometimes* put her to sleep), but she's a very active kid that *must* be in motion at all times, so I figured she would like it.  Boy is that an understatement.  I'm pretty sure she could live on the swings.  She didn't want to leave.  And she got mad if I didn't push her high enough.  I swear this kid is going to grow up to be a circus performer.  Anyway, after I finally pried her away from the swings, we did 2 laps around the park, checking out some wildlife and saying 'hi!' to every. single. person.

And you know what?  I actually enjoyed myself.  I *might* be persuaded to make it a daily thing.  I was in such a good mood for the rest of the evening.  And all I did was take a simple little walk.  Crazy how getting some fresh air can impact you so much!  Anyway, here are the long-awaited pictures of our walk and Ellie's newfound passion: swings.  Enjoy...

Hey mom, this is pretty fun!

Higher!  No, HIGHER!  Ok, that's good!

Sweet, some shades!  Now my eyes don't hurt!  Thanks, mom!

And now for a nature quiz! Tell me...

... Groundhog or Beaver??  We didn't get a glimpse of its tail, but it appeared to be coming up out of the creek.  Andy says it's a groundhog, but I think it's beaver.  What do you think??

And here's a pretty little birdie that we saw perched on one of the bird boxes along the trail...

... so pretty, right?!  Anybody know what kind of bird it is??

And we saw these when we got home...

... are they Tulips or Daffodils?  We have both, but I can't remember what is where.

And here's a bonus picture for those of you who have made it this far in the post!  While I was teaching lessons on Tuesday night, Andy needed to go out and pick up sticks, so he took Ellie out with him.  She settled in on the pavers by the pool and played with the rocks.  It turned out to be stinkin' adorable...

... right?!  I can't even handle the cuteness in this picture.  And look how green our grass is getting!  Promise, I didn't edit that picture at all, other than cropping it.

Ok, that's all the pictures I have for you today.  Stay tuned for some more pinterest reviews - if I can fit it in between all of our walks and swinging!