Simple Things

Some of my favorite memories as a child are when we would get together with my Uncle Ron, Aunt Donna and Jessie and go to the park (usually Liberty Park) with some KFC (back then it was still Kentucky Fried Chicken) and have a picnic and play.  We haven't done that as much in recent years but we actually still get together and go do some of the activities that we have always done throughout my life. I'm pretty sure I spent most of my childhood at some park or another around the Salt Lake Valley.  We would also go with just our mom, Donna and Jess and spend the day playing.  I can't even think of all the sand castles that we have built in the sand on the playground.

My boys were begging to go to the park yesterday, so when Kenny got home from work we loaded up, grabbed some KFC and headed to one of our favorite parks, Murray Park. It looks much warmer in the pictures than it really was. Big surprise since it had been raining the day before and we even got a nice thick layer of snow in the mountains.  At least it wasn't cold enough to scare us off.  

We had the perfect picnic table right next to the river that runs through the park where it is skinnier and the water was moving fast.  It was such a peaceful sound to listen to while we were eating.  That was until some poor guy who was practicing his electric guitar showed up and started practicing.  Kenny is convinced that his wife or mom threw him out and told him to practice somewhere else.   It was actually really nice and the boys were so quiet while they were eating...they just wanted to get to playing...no talk, just eat.

Here is one nice thing about them being the ages that they are...we can let them go off and play and we can finish up at our pace and then enjoy the silence of some time just for us.  It still seems weird at times to not have to be there holding their hands the entire time and watching them like a hawk.  Now we mostly watch closely just to make sure they aren't being to destructive :)

We had Seth with us this weekend and so pretty soon they had the scooters out of the truck and they were off. I was impressed that they were being really good to watch for all the pedestrians out walking their dogs. No one got ran over!  Like with most things, that didn't last long and they were throwing rocks into the river. This activity came with the quick and repeated warning of "No aiming at the ducks!!"

Kelton with the huh? What was that? There are ducks here  look.

Seth looking for the perfect rock to throw

Perfect picture to show the difference between the adults and the kids.  We know it's cold and have on a jacket, the kids aren't willing to admit they are cold because it's almost May and therefore they should be able to just wear shorts and a t-shirt.

This was just pretty :)

Before long, the boys were doing what they had talked about doing the entire afternoon.  Their whole goal was to ride their scooters down the tall hills at the park.  Kenny didn't know that the boys already do this at home on some of the smaller hills here so he was quick to jump in and try to voice his objections.  I  quickly intervened to assure him that the boys do this sitting or squatting on their scooters and their fine.  If they do fall they don't really have far to fall.  They had a blast going down the hills and then hiking back up them. I remember when activities like this was fun too :)

All 3 boys at the top of one of the smaller hills, but the steepest.

Wooohoooo.....Look at Taylor go!

Seth just finishing one of his times down the hill  and Kelton waiting his turn.  At least they were safe without us telling them to wait and would just wait for each other.

We had so much fun playing and talking and just being together.  There are just times when it's those simple things that are going to be what we all remember and look back on as that fun evening when they played and rode their scooters down the hills at the park.