Fun at the Pond

Last week, we went with my friend Amy and her sweet daughter, Rachel, to the pond that is at the industrial park across from our house. Sounds like a weird place for a pond, I know, but it is actually a really nice pond with a sidewalk trail all the way around the edge. There is a dock you can walk out on and use to see lots of pond life. It is FULL of turtles, ducks, and fish!! We saw a GIANT catfish! GIANT! Kind of scary looking, in fact. He made all of the ducks swim away. We had a great time with only a coule of minor mishaps. I had been saving old bread to take with us to feed the ducks and fish. Let me just say that the ducks that live at this pond rely heavily on the crumbs that come from visitors. As soon as we arrived, they started walking/swimming our way. Word spread around the pond quickly. If you haven't ever fed a tame duck, you should know that they expect you to get those crumbs out there ASAP. If you don't, they will take it right out of your hand. Rush and Frannie learned this really quickly. There was a freak out when the ducks' bills were touching their hands, but we recovered... for the most part. Rachel was very comfortable with the ducks because she had been there before. She was a good example for the twins. Both kids got pecked at by the ducks.

After feeding all of the animals, we went over to the sidewalk trail and found a shady spot to ride bikes, tricycles, etc. Amy brought along another little riding toy that you have to move with your feet and legs. It swerves back and forth as you move it. It is a little hard to explain. It reminded me of these turtle things we used to use at the skate center when we were little. While both of my kiddos tried it out, they weren't strong enough or don't yet have the motor skills necessary to make it work. Frannie was the last to try it out. I thought she was done with it and was just sitting there. I turned my back to help Rush on the tricycle. All of a sudden, I hear Amy yell from down the sidewalk a little... "WATERRRRRR!!!!!" We both took off running as we watched Frantastic sail down a hill toward the pond. I think she was so stunned, she couldn't even think to put down her feet to stop herself. She just whizzed right on down. We got there just as she slipped into the edge. Her whole bottom half was wet, but we saved her before she went all the way in. What a mess! We laughed... Frannie not so much. She kept saying, "But I didn't want to go in that water! Why did I go in? I didn't want to!" You should have heard the dramatic retelling for her Daddy at dinner that night. Oh, she is quite the actress.

There are no pictures as evidence because it was 140 degrees outside, and all of the kids were saying they were itching. It was time to go home. I forgot I had my camera in my pocket. I am a little sad about that now.

All in all, it was fun, and I think the kids must have enjoyed it, too, because they have been asking to go back again. Maybe when it cools down to 98 degrees, we can go back. :-)