Dad Season

Now that the weather is warming up, it seems like I see dads with their kids everywhere. The biggest dad draw is the park, especially in the afternoons. Today was no exception. We headed to the park after naps and came upon several dads pushing their kids on the swings and helping their babies down the slide. Some of the dads were still dressed in their work clothes as if they had hurriedly rushed off to the park after work in order to enjoy every possible minute of daylight.  


There must be something magical about the park experience for dads. I know Chris loved taking Ian there (sometimes a couple of times a day). Grown men are transformed into little boys at the park as they relive their childhood adventures. Of course, I see plenty of moms enjoying the park with their kids and I have a lot of fun when we visit. But nothing can replace the joy of playing in the sandbox with dad or being tickled in the grass by him after he has chased you around teasing, "I'm going to get you!" Or maybe those experiences just seem irreplaceable now that I know Ian and Claire won't have them.


Thank goodness kids say the cutest things to bring levity to the day. A small tan cat has been hanging around our house this past week. I think it might be a stray but it is very friendly and likes to play with the kids when we are outside. She (I think) made an appearance today while we were in the backyard and rolled around in the leaves and dirt for awhile. This elicited squeals of delight from Claire and plenty of laughter from Ian. Later in the day, as we were on our way to the park, Ian asked me if we were going to see the kitty from outside. I told him we probably wouldn't and he asked me what her name was. I said I wasn't sure but we should come up with our own name for her. He suggested, "Luna." When I reminded him that we already have a cat named Luna, he promptly replied, "No.  Luna In The Backyard." Of course, why didn't I think of that?!


This is us without you, Chris.  We missed you at the park today.