Playground Dad

Since I get in to work early, I also get to leave early, which is really nice, especially in the spring and summer months when I can go for walks and take Ellie to the playground. Of course, most of the time I end up being the only dad there, but I’m cool with that.
Yesterday was just such a time. Ellie was having a difficult time adjusting to life away from Disneyworld, so we decided to go to the playground for a while. This was negotiated down from going to the pool (which we do not belong to and which does not open until Memorial Day anyway) and from filling up the baby pool (which probably has holes and which I couldn’t find anyway). Shortly after we arrived, Ellie’s friend Stella showed up with her mom and her brother Henry. Ellie and Stella literally yelled out each other’s name and ran toward each other in excitement. They should have fun at school together today.
The rest of the moms and I stood around chatting and watching the kids for the better part of an hour. Henry is such a boy, he gives me a preview of what Evan will be like in a year or so. Yesterday, he took advantage of a momentary lapse in his mom’s concentration to walk straight into a lake at Meadowlark Gardens. Luckily, we don’t live in Florida, so there weren’t any alligators around. He has two girlfriends already, one of which, Moira, was there at the playground yesterday. She is a cutie, but she’s still a little shy around me. I am an oddball, a dad amongst moms. I definitely am in with the moms though, as I told the story about Ellie getting her picture taken with Cinderella, and all three moms simultaneously cocked their heads to the side and went, “Awwww!”
The Disney trivia will remain open for one more day, as we are still trying to get organized at home (meaning I haven’t dug up the receipt with the exact amount yet). Some of the entries are already extremely close, so be sure to get your guess in.