Knock knock. We heard a gentle tap on our door at 10 PM yesterday and opened the door to see our neighbor. She was hoping we could maybe watch her 2-year-old all day today so that she could go on a day trip with her friends visiting from the US. We said, "Sure!" Despite the extra work it would mean, and despite having prior plans, I knew we'd also enjoy having Miriam's buddy join in our Friday fun.
My goal was to use the Israeli buses to find a recommended park 30 minutes away called Gazelle Valley. I'd looked up information about it and had mapped it out on Google Maps. I'd noted how many hard right turns the bus would make and at what bus stop we should exit (by counting after the turns). The big kids and I packed a backpack that included spare clothes for the two potty-training 2-year-olds and Selah, loaded up my neighbor's deluxe double stroller we were borrowing, and the seven of us set out.
It was a beautiful sunny winter day and I was thrilled to get out of the house. I looked forward to seeing a new place and exploring a haven of nature in the middle of the city. Alas, I made mistakes and we did not make it to our intended destination. BUT! We did find an amazing playground. It was tall and expansive. It had multiple tunnel slides that provided extra challenges for my boys who love climbing, and smaller slides and ladders that were just right for the 2-year-olds. I've had lots of experience with playgrounds and have never found one quite as good as this one for entertaining such an age spectrum. The big kids walked up the outsides of slides, hung on the outsides of barred platforms, and sat "chilling" on tunnels. Miriam and her pal ran, climbed, squealed, and slid. They experimented with swinging and teeter-tottering, and Miriam conquered her fear of tunnels, crawling through them with ease by the end.
My goal was to use the Israeli buses to find a recommended park 30 minutes away called Gazelle Valley. I'd looked up information about it and had mapped it out on Google Maps. I'd noted how many hard right turns the bus would make and at what bus stop we should exit (by counting after the turns). The big kids and I packed a backpack that included spare clothes for the two potty-training 2-year-olds and Selah, loaded up my neighbor's deluxe double stroller we were borrowing, and the seven of us set out.
It was a beautiful sunny winter day and I was thrilled to get out of the house. I looked forward to seeing a new place and exploring a haven of nature in the middle of the city. Alas, I made mistakes and we did not make it to our intended destination. BUT! We did find an amazing playground. It was tall and expansive. It had multiple tunnel slides that provided extra challenges for my boys who love climbing, and smaller slides and ladders that were just right for the 2-year-olds. I've had lots of experience with playgrounds and have never found one quite as good as this one for entertaining such an age spectrum. The big kids walked up the outsides of slides, hung on the outsides of barred platforms, and sat "chilling" on tunnels. Miriam and her pal ran, climbed, squealed, and slid. They experimented with swinging and teeter-tottering, and Miriam conquered her fear of tunnels, crawling through them with ease by the end.
We played for close to an hour and made it back to the bus stop just in time to catch a return bus within the 90 minute time frame that allowed us to not pay again. It was a different bus number than we'd used to get there, and we only had 2 minutes to spare, but we made it home successfully and with each toddler only having cried once -- and no potty accidents! My big kids asked if I was frustrated that we hadn't made it to Gazelle Valley. "Nope!" I could truthfully answer. I know we'll make it there someday. But today, our mistake ended up being a blessing in disguise.
1 comment:
Yay! So glad you guys had such a good time despite not finding your original destination!
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