Sunset

This evening was just about perfect. We made dinner, saw Daddy off to work, then the kids and I went for a walk. I pulled out the big stroller, for the boys, and Elena borrowed a scooter from the neighbor. We set out to find letters--on signs, cars, houses, anywhere we could find them. It's a favorite game when we're in the car, but it was nice to be able to slow down and give Joseph more time to spot things. Plus, the weather was perfect. Blue sky, no clouds, a light breeze, not too hot and not too cold. We managed to get up to Q before we lost a bit of drive. The rarer letters can be pretty tricky. The school was on the way home so we stopped in at the playground for some play time. The kids ran ahead, but I held back, wanting to take it all in. I wanted to savor what may be our last trip there together. I took a seat on a swing--I always seem to gravitate there--and James came over for a ride. I watched lacy branches arch over us, lightly flocked with delicate bunches of new leaves, as James and I floated back and forth, laughter and the children's voices washing over me. Elena joined us and I told her all about the summer we first moved here and I would sit on those very swings, waiting for her to join us in our family. Playtime beckoned, though. A game of hide and seek began and we all took turns counting to fifteen then looking for the others. Even James played. "Wun, dwo, fee, fou, fie, 'leven... come!" He chased Elena up the playscape and down the twirly slide. He caught her as she tried to climb back up. I hid behind trees because I'm too tall to properly hide in the tunnels, the way Elena and Joseph do, and too old to run pell mell across the tanbark. In one last game, we all ran up the steps and across the bridge to the tallest slide and went down, one after the other, over and over again, until we were breathless and giggling. As we made our way home I watched the sun slide below the horizon, marking the end of another day. Elena returned the scooter and thanked the neighbor. And then she threw a massive fit because she hadn't realized she was missing Wipeout. I sent her to bed. So close. Good enough, though.