Arizona weather always manages to throw me for a loop. Heck, it was 95 today but it’s only supposed to make it to 75 tomorrow. And I know that sounds like bragging, but when the difference between noon and dusk is 30 degrees, it can be difficult to pick out clothes in the morning. I’ve been bouncing between boots, tights, hoodies, tanks, tees and skirts for weeks, so when the heat index comes out and we make that switch to Spring, (which for most other states feels like summer,) I am thankful I at least know what to expect. And when it comes to my boys, I know where to go.Splash pads are open and hours of entertainment ensue! Sunday, we had our first splash pad play date of the year at a new park and the bros played from 9am-12:30 getting soaked, sandy and sunny. After little bro’s nap, they were ready to do it all again, taking buckets to our sandbox and playing for two more hours before dinner. They did the same thing Monday and Tuesday.
It warms my heart to watch them create, imagine and play with nothing but sand and water. Those two basic earthly elements hold their attention three times as long as any screen, and I’m sure teach them much more. At the end of the day, they’re messy and so is the yard. Sand toys strewn about, along with tiny plastic farm animals in a makeshift creek or a kiddie pool serving as a large lake. Their shoes leak granules of sand for days. They’re exhausted, hungry, and happy.
Sunday evening, I cooked dinner next to an open window, listening to their banter as they narrated another scene, coordinating their efforts to wash the plastic pigs and cows. The warmth seeped in with the pink shades of another desert sunset. It’s such a simple thing, some water and sand. It’s such a simple thing, two children playing in the yard. I write it down because these are the simple moments I want to hold onto forever.
