Eli and Jude at the playground

The day was pretty nice today, a bit hot but very sunny. I decided it would be a great time for a park trip! The boys have been mostly restless for the last couple of weeks with Alex recovering from surgery, especially when it was rainy and nasty outside, so I figured a trip to the park would be a wonderful excursion for the little guys to get some energy out.

So, we packed up the stroller and a little cooler full of snacks and drinks for our hour-long sojourn to the apartment complex's playground. I really can't stress enough how convenience this playground is for us; the boys love to go there every time, and I think they might even enjoy it more than swimming in the pool, which is good since Alex can't get in the water yet (shortly she'll be able to though)! As you can see in the video, the little explorers are into all of the environment, not just the playground equipment, so we were constantly having to run into the woods chasing after our little questers. They certainly have picked up on how we move as well; I rarely see them moving together, more often than not attempting to separate us in an attempt to break free and explore where we're not letting them go. Such is the life of a baby I suppose, but it certainly makes it much harder for us to keep tabs on them every second of the day!

As you can see by the second video, the boys are successfully starting to master stairs. This worries me a bit as well, mainly because i think it is giving them the idea that they can explore them by themselves, without any help from us. They are certainly enjoy expressing their independence: Alex gets frustrated at this because when she wants to hug them, they oftentimes don't want to hug and sometimes run up to her and then run back to whatever they are doing. Our little ones are starting to grow up right in front of our eyes.

I hope next week to take a video of the boys swimming with Skylar and Sydney, if they're able to come over for a dip in the pool. Our success with their swim training is limited at the moment; the last time we went swimming with them, the boys learned to kick their feet while being suspended in the water and are learning to blow bubbles more in the water. Next time, I'd like to get them to dunk their heads under water for a second and learn to hold their breath. If anyone has a suggestion for a good swim instruction book though, I'd be more than happy to take a read; leave a comment for me and I'll look up the book.

Anyway, here are the videos. Enjoy!