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local parks 'round the 'hood

This summer has been awesome for me and I am going to miss it so much when it is over. I am loving the extra days I get to spend with the kids and taking them on simple adventures. It's the best! And so good for my Mama soul.

Unfortunately, as much as I want to take them on faraway adventures, I am weary in driving more than 20 minutes with the kids on my own in the morning. Why? Because Will falls asleep easily in the car and even if he conks out for just 5 minutes, he fights his afternoon nap. I know other Moms would agree with me that you just don't mess with that. So to avoid that, we stay close. It's okay, though, because there are plenty of parks within 2 miles of our house.

We went to Glyndon Park after storytime at the library one day. We had a picnic lunch (fried chicken & biscuits) with my parents and the kids had fun climbing, sliding, and swinging. It has two play structures - one for bigger kids and one for little ones. And a sandbox! Lots of space to roam around and most of the park is shady. This is the play structure for little kids. The bigger play structure is in the background in these pictures.

Meadow Lane Park isn't our favorite, but it is close to home. On top of small play structures and a few swing sets, there is a huge variety of big plastic toys that people donated (mostly old and half broken...). There is also a sandbox. We came here for a picnic lunch as well, although the kids never eat as well out as they do at home. I definitely think this park is for little kids (ages 2-5), but even though my kids are at the perfect age, I don't think we will come here often. It's not the cleanest park. During the entire time we were there, Anna was mostly glued to this blue car. She really loved it and we think it is because of the siren on top.

The Branch Road Tot Lot is a place I have driven by many many times, but never stopped. It is a super small playground, as you can see from the picture below. We went there Monday morning while the weather was still cool and spent about 40 mintues there. It is shady, CLEAN, and well-maintained. The kids liked the seasaw the best, but Anna later told me that she didn't like the park because "it is for small kids and I am a big kid." Then we went to Vienna Town Green to walk around. In all my years of living in this area, I had never been. It's a pretty area with a great big lawn (they host summer concerts here), walking trails, and flowers to admire. When we got there, the sprinklers were on so I encouraged the kids to stand at one particular spot so they could get sprayed. They were timid at first, but ended up loving it. :) Although I don't think the summer flew by, it's sad to think that there are only 3 weekends left before Anna returns to school. I am holding on to every last bit of it!!


filed under Around DC, love, Summer 2013
