Small things that make for joy

There's a new play barn which has lots of big stuff in it (for age 4+) which seemed like a big leap when we first went there 6 months ago but today Isaac was off and I hardly saw him unless it was a flash at the very top or him whizzing down a huge slide. I suspect he was also climbing up the outside of it as I found him half way up at one point and had lost him for a good long time before that... if he's doing things like this at not yet 4 I wonder where he'll end up.

In one corner they have some interactive play with things that make music, have animal sounds etc. But there's also the best wind machine I've seen. Kids of all ages were having fun and most of the parents were mesmerised too by the balls floating in air. There was usually a child or two on the top too enjoying the air stream. Isabel would have happily stayed there all day.

She was persuaded off to do some dodgy driving (she can only go backwards). She cackles with laughter whilst doing it and then yells 'push, push' to get me to move her from where she's got stuck against a wall or some furniture.

Isaac is desperate to be able to swing across monkey bars and the like. He's not yet strong enough to swing across on his own and he's a bit fearful of the drop. This afternoon he spent a lot of time swinging and dropping and generally working out how to be in that space in new ways. He had help to swing from his legs (and get back up again) and spent a good 15 minutes climbing up onto the metal bars and dropping down to the ground again. He was so proud of himself he kept accosting a troop of Brownies who were doing group activities in the playground.

Not to be outdone in new skills Isabel climbed up onto the tall slide (both up the slide and up the steps). There's nothing quite like knowing your child is at the top of a tall slide where you can't reach and seeing her push off to go faster (think of the start of a bobsleigh race!). It wouldn't be so bad if her shoes didn't keep sticking her to the slide which can lead to unpredictable results. Mostly though I just had the job of guiding her down to the bottom and stopping her flying off the end.

Swings always provide fun and she's keen to play on the big swings. For the most part she's quite stable and seems to have 'got' it much more quickly than Isaac did. It's such a pleasure to swing on these swings. The swings in our local park have solid bars so that the locals can't wrap the chain around the frame. OK so it may stop the vandals but it also stops half the fun. It means they're hard to push and near impossible for Isaac to swing himself on. These were much freer and provided enough swing that Isaac could get himself pretty high. He doesn't stay seated very long though.

Evenings have been hard whilst we've been here. Isaac has been unsettled and not going to sleep easily and I am tired and losing patience. In the midst of the challenge of settling them tonight Isabel discovered my belly and decided to try blowing raspberries on it. There was such delight in it. I try to hold onto that joy instead of the frustration.