Fall day, park day.

   We went to the park today. TODAY.  Did you catch that?  I just had to make sure because of how monumentally newsworthy it is that I am posting about something on the very same day on which it occurred.  Unheard of, I tell you.  Is this what real bloggers feel like?  

   Moving on.  I guess technically we went to the library first for story time, but I have no pictures of that as I was busy keeping a 21-month-old on her bottom and at least appearing to be listening.  

   The park is quickly becoming one of my favorite places.  Every single time I go there I get this feeling of, "Why haven't I been coming all summer long?"  But then I remember that I was giving birth 3.5 months ago.  So maybe that's why.  

 

     Jocelyn hasn't mastered her fear of sliding down alone yet.  I must admit I'm secretly pleased, because that means I get to slide down too.  It would look pretty silly if she was sliding down perfectly fine on her own and then here comes her mom awkwardly squeaking down behind her, now wouldn't it?  Besides, one of these days she'll slide down by herself and then there's no going back...she'll never need me to slide down with her again.

   Madison and Jessi were with us, much to the delight of Jocelyn, who is ALL about cousin Madison these days.  Almost each time we get ready to go somewhere, she starts jabbering, "Mahie? Mahie?"  wondering if her beloved Madison will be there.  It's so fun to watch them interact and get to know each other more and more.  Charlotte and Jada (Jessi's baby) were there as well, although I forgot to snap any of them.  They were sleeping most of the time, so you didn't miss much.

    The play structure is just big enough that she can't quite handle everything on her own, but it certainly keeps her occupied.  Next summer I'll be able to sit on the bench with my coffee and observe, but at this point, I pretty much have to hover, making sure she doesn't plummet off a ledge and break a limb.

    It couldn't have been a more beautiful fall day.  The type you're not sure whether to call "fall" or "late summer".  It was delightful.

 "Rawr!" Goes the little lion cub.

   My God-given moccasins.

   O.k. so maybe it's a stretch to believe that God would give you shoes, or even care about your shoes at all, but I kinda feel like He gave me these.  I had been wanting some for a l-o-n-g time but not allowing myself to pay the $40 price tag for the Minnetonka ones I liked.  So I just kept waiting, and thinking about them, and of course, looking at moccasins online.  (Why do we do that to ourselves??)
   Anyway, ended up buying a black pair just because they were on the clearance rack, but I really wanted brown ones.  Plus the black ones felt a little tight, and to make a very long story short, I took the black ones back and was again moccasin-less.  (Not that Randy minded, he's just not quite sure about the whole moccasin-thing.)
   But then, lo and behold!  I found these beauties at Forever 21 for $28.50.  It was still a little more than I had hoped to pay, but every girl has her patience-limits. I marched them up to the counter.  (This would make a much better story if at this point I had prayed, but I didn't.  Boo-hoo.)  After the lady rang them up she looked a little surprised and said, "Huh, these shoes rang up as $11.99."  And after a pause,  "And they're 50% off of that! What a deal!"  And so after my long journey, I found the perfect pair, in the right color, the right size, a very comfortable fit, for $6.  And that is my God-given moccasin story.  The end.

Swinging is probably one of Jocelyn's most favorite things, ever.

  Here is her smile that she gives when I ask her to say "cheese".  Cheesy, of course, but hey, whatever works. 

  Here is Jessi making sure Madison didn't launch herself into the creek with the sticks she was throwing.  Throwing sticks into water.  Never gets old.

  You know that fall weather is about as perfect as it can get when you are comfortable in short sleeves and drinking hot coffee.

And that's all she wrote.