In case you guys haven't figured it out just yet, I have the innate desire to seek out opportunity.
Redundancy has the tendency to drive me mad.
On one of the afternoons in which I was desperate to find something to do outside of the Helena, Alabaster, Homewood, Vestavia radius that encompasses most of our lives, I happened upon a beautiful little gem of a place...and the name behind it made it that much more special.
Actually, I Googled "Splash Pads in Alabama" because I am trying to convince my husband to have one installed in our back yard - primarily for the fungusy primate who lives in our house, but also for the enjoyment of our entire family.
That's when Google popped up with the words "Morgan County's special needs Splash Pad" and my heart went all aflutter!
The John Mark Stallings Special Needs Adaptive Playground of Morgan County - Phase II turned out to be one of the most thrilling and independent activities for Addie.
It was one of those rare moments in our lives when Addie was happy and at ease with her surroundings and more than able to take part in each play activity!
That was....
after
she got over her initial shyness and anxiety!
The hike up to Morgan County took a little while, but with the promise of Addie getting to "play in the water", she was in great spirits and kept looking out the window trying to find "the water"!
Once we arrived, we were thrilled to see that there was not a crowd
and after coating the pale Little Monkey in sunscreen, I handed the bucket and baby over to her, fully expecting her to run with glee into the spray of water.
It didn't happen quite like I had imagined.
In typical Addie fashion, she stood back and surveyed her surroundings.
She was watching everyone like a hawk.
Chris - heaven help him - took on the task of getting the Monkey into the water.
Behold, the amazing water portal!
It appears harmless enough, yet Addie strikes her nonchalant beauty queen pose and tries her best to ignore Chris.
Wow.
It was minute after minute of encouraging words and dramatic gestures.
Addie kept looking back at Julien - probably to make certain that he wasn't going to flee once she stepped foot into the water.
It's a good thing pictures are now in digital format...I took a gazillion of them.
Progress was made with a step or two forward.
Still just harmless water...Chris demonstrates that horrid monsters would not morph from the spray of water and swallow him whole.
Holy Cow.
Contact was made.
Sort of.
The moment of impact!
Yes.
I am fully aware that there are SEVERAL splash pads so much closer to home.
I was drawn to this one and it was worth every second of my day.
It was special.
Oh...so many more pictures yet to come!
~~~
June 23, 2012
