Thanksgiving Day at a Park

Without any Thanksgiving meal to cook or guests with whom to visit, we spent some of our free time today at a nearby park. Initially we had thought of driving to Grandfather Mountain until we learned it is two hours away. Then we considered the City of Kings Mountain until we learned it is one hour away. I didn't want to get caught on a long drive if Mary began screaming in her car seat. Thus, we settled on visiting a park about three miles away from our house that turned out to have a great toddler playground and a quiet lake with ducks. Inevitably, Mary did become alert and want to nurse repeatedly, so I ended up just sitting in the comfortable, warm van with the baby while Chris and John had fun exploring.

In the last few weeks, our cautious boy has become willing to descend small slides without holding a parent's hand. Congratulations, John!

But he still won't let himself swing faster than this: