Another Day at the Park

Water Fountain at King George Park

Although it was a Monday, we did not go to the Sing and Learn session at the library. I was more interested in fulfilling my promise made to Aaliyah. I had promised to take her to McDonalds once she finishes working on her Summer Bridge Activity workbook. A friend of ours has borrowed our family car until their car gets fixed and Nasir took his car to work. I could have probably walked over to McDonalds, but getting past a major intersection with Ayaan seemed very daunting. So, putting the McDonald promise for later in the evening when "Dadda" gets home, we headed over to King George park to have yet another day of Summer fun.
Once at the park, the kids played on
the swings and then played for almost an hour in the water. Surprisingly, I didn't have to give them any warning to end their water play. There were only a handful of other children playing in the water fountain and once that group left, my kids slowly started to get over their water fantasy until Aaliyah started playing with her soccer ball. She and another kid just her size were very fascinated when the ball that she put on the water volcano started floating in mid water. With the water pressure the ball kept bouncing up and kept the kids entertained. After some time they decided to continue with their fun in the slides area. While Aaliyah was good about changing into dry clothes immediately, Ayaan just sun dried himself while playing on the slides.

I came across a friend from Strongstart and sat with her the whole time. She is expecting her third child and has gestational diabetes. This is the second woman I've met this year who has gestational diabetes. Being at a higher risk than most other pregnant moms, she has to visit her doctor more frequently and take insulin shots daily. She takes the skytrain and a bus to go see her doctor in Vancouver. And if she has to go to the hospital for any kind of a test, she usually takes the skytrain and 3 change of buses. I realized that there is life beyond a personal vehicle. People who do not own a car still manage to take care of their daily activities.

I have come to the conclusion that I have two challenges that I have to fulfill. One is walking across the busy intersection with Ayaan and second is travelling in a bus with both Aaliyah and Ayaan. Whether I get to take up these challenges remains to be seen.

While the kids were playing and I was still chatting with my friend, Nasir surprises me at the park. Not finding us at home and with my cell phone in his car, he figured I would be either at the library or at the park. Two places that are at a walk-able distance from home. He first checked the library and then came straight to the park. The smile on his face when he saw me was one of pride and accomplishment. Something that said, "hey I finally found you." I smiled back at him and acknowledged him while still chatting with my friend. It is sometimes funny how we both can just convey messages through our eyes. He walked past me towards the slides area where the kids were playing. The kids were ecstatic to see him at the park. Like a good father and a husband, he then took us all to McDonalds. He remembered the promise I had made to Aaliyah. I couldn't be happier. What a wonderful ending to a day at the park.