Sand in the City 2012

Can this really be? Am I really posting on the day that the event actually took place? My oh my, I don't think I've done this in ages! Somewhere between one child and three children, my life became a game of always being behind and always trying to catch-up! So, other than the final installment from my Pennsylvania trip this past spring (!!!), I do believe that I am actually and finally caught up on the blog! For now. Oh, wait. I just realized I never blogged about our garden. Hm, okay, so the game of catch-up continues...  But on to the good stuff!

We enjoyed another wonderful afternoon at the annual Sand in the City. Our time was filled with giant-sand-box-playing, craft-making, water-playing, bubble-making, and sculptures-in-progress-viewing. And this year was special because Kevin's parents were able to join us. The kids loved having "Ocean-Beach" Grandpa and Grandma along and it was neat for them to be able to join in on what has become one of our favorite summer events.

 Jake's favorite activity was a rubber duck water slide. As soon as he got it figured out, he was running to the tub to grab a rubber duck and quickly back to the slide to drop it into the water. As the duck whipped away in the current, Jake would squeal and dance with glee, "Duckie! Duckie!" and race to do it all over again. He was so darn cute that random strangers even stopped to watch him for awhile! :) I so wish I had had a video camera with me!

 Also unique to this year's event was its new location in front of the soon-to-open Hand's On Children's Museum. In the new plaza is a very neat brand-new wading stream. I've never seen anything of the kind before, but it's basically a man-made creek that the kids go creek wading in just like I did as a kid with my cousins! Only this creek is sanitary, the water is warm, and bronze statue creatures are scattered throughout. :) But the fact that the water runs through it and that one must navigate through and over rocks makes it feels just like one is wading through a real stream! Pretty cool and much more small-child friendly than our downtown fountain which Ben and Jake won't even venture into!

The kids had so much fun that they want to go back again Saturday or Sunday. We'll see. :)