Bull Frog Adventure

Wesley and I went to the Chapel Hill Botanical gardens today.

Ever since Wesley's friend Aidan taught him to take sticks and poke them in the water Wesley has delighted in this activity and has even added his own twist. Playing "stick" now involves poking fish, lifting lily pads in search of frogs, and making friends. Every time another child went by us Wesley picked up an extra stick and said, "You want to share stick?"

One little girl took him up on his offer. I thought for a moment that he was going to fall in the water -- again -- when he decided to stretch as far as his body could stretch to reach the little girl's dropped stick. He picked it up and handed it to her. She didn't seem to mind that it was dripping and covered in slime.

"Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome," he said.

And the both got back on their bellies and returned to poking the fish in the water as they kicked their feet in the air.

At one point Wesley and I lied down in the sunshine and sang "You are my sunshine" to each other. We laughed a lot today. I feel more like a child now than i ever did growing up -- yet another benefit of parenting, you get to grow up again.

On our way out of the garden we passed another pond and saw hundreds of tadpoles. I can't wait until they grow up and turn into bullfrogs so the garden will resume the noise and presence -- a hallmark of summer -- that prompted Wesley to name this adventure Bull Frog Adventure.