Tuesday..Playgrounds, Mud and Growing Minds!

I know it is said all the time but babies really do grow in the blink of an eye. I was really thinking about this Sunday evening when I took the littles out to the playground. We have been to this playground numerous times. It's such a way to see them progress though. Everytime we go back they can do more and more. When we first moved here, Finn was crawling and not even a year old yet. We werent even really able to use the playground. Its covered in sand (which he saw as edible) and it requires a good deal of climbing to use.

The over the last year and a half, though, its been so fun to watch him slowly grow into using it. My rule of thumb is if he has the thought skills to know how to use it he is big enough. I dont like to hover over my children, I like to stand a safe distance back and see what they can do. To me keeping your children from doing things that could maybe on an off chance get them hurt is almost a waste of their intelligence. Of course, keep them from doing obvious harmful things but I have friends who just over think everything to a point it is almost hard for their children to have any fun. Thats where my rule came from. If they have the physical and mental capability to do it then obviously they are ready for it. On that note, the rule means I dont put my kid on something they cant get up and down from. I dont stick them on tall playground equipment unless they have shown they know how to get down safely.

The last couple months Finn has been trying to get up the ladder on this playground. He gets on the first rung and doesnt know what to do from there. He knows once he is up there to slide down though. So we have slowly been working on our ladder skills, ill guide him up and he'll safely slide down. This week we went out and he made it up all 4 rungs! He only didnt seem to know how to coordinate climbing from the rung onto the platform it leads to. Maybe next time? I love stepping back and watching his little wheels turn though!

My little monkey figuring out the ladder

Excited to slide!

 

And on the side, I watched my little girl bear crawling around in the grass(God forbid she touch too much grass haha). I watched her bear crawl up and sit one the edge of the playground watching her brother with great intent. Im sure its only a matter of time before she is on that bottom rung! That night was the first time she tried to stand straight up with out assistance. Didnt quite make it but it was awesome effort!

She tried so hard to stand up!

 

She eventually gave up, bear crawled over and stood back up on me.

 

After about and hour or so it started getting dark and my side was getting sore again. I decided to start rounding them up to go inside. By now, Finn had been wondering around in the grass surrounding the play area. I was just watching him explore the grass, leaves and bugs on the sidewalk. Of course, as I make my way to get him on the way to coming inside, that is the moment he discovered.......a mud puddle! Did he go stomping through it? nope. Did he poke a stick in it? nope. Instead my lovely little boy decided to take a more drastic approach, he trudged through it and sat. Of course he began to splash it everywhere.

A true mom always takes a picture before fixing the problem:)

 

There he is, pants falling down his booty and sitting in the mud as if thats just what you are suppose to do..

 

Of course, I pulled him out and covered my own self in the squishiness. It was inside and straight to the tub for the both of them. I'd get to clean up eventually, haha. Lucky for him Im pretty laid back about these things. Despite the ickiness, Im glad he enjoyed it. I couldnt even be mad he was enjoying it too much. Luckily kids were made washable. He and his sister spent a good hour enjoying the bath after, so all was well!

 

Plus it made for some worn out and ready for bed children!