Sprinkle Park Fun

It's no secret that we've had one heck of a warm streak of summer weather. Yes, people in other parts of the country are probably shaking their heads at how we react to temps over 80 degrees, but we aren't used to it and typically don't have AC, people... give us a break! ;)

To beat the heat one day last week, I packed up the kids and took them to a local park that has a sprinkle/water area. The kids hadn't been there before, so that was an added level of intrigue for the outing. Before we left home, I told them they needed to put on swim suits but wouldn't answer their questions asking where we were going. Muahahahah! I'm such an evil mom! ;)

As soon as we came over the top of the grassy knoll, the kids realized that we were in for a good (and watery) time. Annika was all in from the minute she saw where we were going and the fun that was about to be had. Conor was more hesitant; he wasn't quite sure of the "big kids" (aka the 8-10-year-old kiddos) who were also running around in the spouting water. Soon enough (and with a little encouragement from big sister), Conor go the hang of having fun at the sprinkle park.

The sprinkle park is basically made up of three concentric circles of sprinklers/water features. The outer circle is the most tame (for the small kids), the middle circle is more involved in terms of water activity, and then the inner area is comprised of some tall poles that have yellow half globes of water than fill with water and then tip over ... spilling water on anyone below. Conor mainly stuck to the outer ring of water fun, while Annika was EVERYWHERE... you've heard of tornado chasers, yes? She was a sprinkler/water chaser!! That kids darted here, there, and everywhere. She was in Heaven.

After an hour or so, the sun began to set, putting the sprinkle park into shadows, and chilling our soaked-to-the-bone kiddos. I wrapped them in towels, piled them into the warm car, drove home to a chorus of "when can we go back???", and took them home for warm baths.

Definitely a summer win for Annika and Conor. :)

Conor trying to control the spray

Water 1, Conor 0

Annika darting everywhere

She took a moment to clean her teeth... good oral hygiene is so important to her

Fun at the sprinkle park

Nothing like water up your nose to make you feel alive

Annika plotting her next move

Waiting, waiting, waiting for the water to fall

On to more important activities

Water run

FINALLY, the water fell

Conor attempting to lick the water off of his leg (I have no clue why!)

The cascading water feature

Conor, King of the Sprinkle Park