It has been the wettest winter and spring this year and FINALLY we got a whole weekend of sun and temperatures above 60 degrees. Leo came to visit with us and we decided that a trip to Forest Park, in Everett, would be really nice. Padon had a fantastic time running around independently, which is so nice for Walter and I to see, showing Padon has learned good social skills from "Josephine House". 
Sophia was pleased as punch to find she could walk around on the bark and not loose her balance and was very keen on sliding down the slides again
and again. 
Padon also was all over trying new things and I rounded a jungle gym to see him swinging from the ring/ monkey bars. The rings were my favorite thing to do in elementary school and it made me smile to see him. But the minute he saw me he lost all courage and suddenly needed my help down.
Padon really wanted to go down a very big hill into the field below to "go play games and fight". Walter and I were laughing with each other on how this meant there was probably football going on down there as Padon shoulder checked Walter in the inner thigh. We were also making up excuses about why we didn't need to go all the way down so we didn't have to go all the way back up the hill. Leo, wasn't with us, while we were having this exchange, however, and as soon as Padon had a chance he excitedly lead Leo over to the grass and told him how he wanted to go to the bottom of the hill. Like a really nice Grandpa, Leo, said "okay..." and walked down the hill with Padon and then very tiredly all the way back up. I did go down too to help them come back up and marveled at the highschoolers sliding down the hill on blocks of ice. I had never heard of such a thing and felt like I had missed out.
Sophia was a walking machine. She walked and walked and walked the whole time. She spent a good portion of the time pushing her stroller from behind, which with her little waddle butt and mini skirt, she was beyond cute. Best of all she had put her blanket in her seat and like many of her most favorite items she would call it "Baby". She would push the stroller quite a ways and then stop, saying very purposefully, "Baby!", walk around to the front, pat her blanket firmly in place, confirming it was still secure, and then walk back around to the back of the stroller and continue walking. Walter and Leo seemed to think that this behavior was amazing and advanced and looked to me for a confirming opinion. I don't know if it is advanced, I just thought it was stink'n awesome and cute.
I did have to squat down with Padon, right before it was time to leave, to talk to him about burqas; another situation that makes me really wish he had a full size world map. He had seen a lady at the play ground dressed in a full burqa. And I mean full. Had she not been wearing her sunglasses all that you would have seen of her were her eyes. Padon looked at her with a grin on his face that mixed with awe and mischief. This ended with him running at her, pushing her hard on her thighs and yelling excited and happy, "you're a robot!" Seeing as how she was completely covered I have no idea if she was humored by him, disgusted by him, or further saddened at how removed she was from her own culture. I pulled Padon aside with Walter to say, "You know how we live in the country called America?", he nodded his head yes, "I said there is a country called Saudi Arabia and in Saudi Arabia the women dress in black from head to toe. They believe they are most beautiful when they are completely covered (I didn't really think this was the case because I know there are movements to stop the oppression and the religous expression of the burqa but I honestly, at that moment, couldn't remember the true cultural significance) and so she is showing you how beautiful she is by covering herself in all that beautiful fabric. She's not a robot at all! "(smiling). Padon looked at her again with awe and a smile on his face and then said "yes, she's a robot!" laughed to be contrary, and ran away. Oh, well I tried. I considered going up to her to apologize but then thought, bygones. I mean when you come to a country who doesn't share that same thinking and then go to a play ground full of little "christian" kids what can you expect. I wasn't mad at the little kid who told me I was a monster when I had teal hair.
I wish I could get Padon a full size map of the world that he couldn't tear to shreds. Hummmm...maybe I could paint a mural on his wall! Oooo!
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