First Kiddie Park of the Season

 We will go many times over the course of the summer.  Last summer I think we went four times.  Last night was our first trip to the Kiddie Park for our summer of 2013.  The kids were so excited about running around, choosing rides, riding rides, eating junk, and being together for several hours of entertainment.  All the kids were awesome and never fought (which helps the night tremendously).  They waited in line and rode things even if they didn't want to just so they could be with each other.  Owen rode the roller "toaster" for the first time in his nearly 4 year life.  It was the last ride of the night, no more tickets left, and he finally decided he wasn't scared anymore.  It was so cute to watch him experience his first coaster ride of all time.  His face lit up, his smile beamed, and I couldn't help but envy being a child again:)

One of the coolest things about going last night was that it was busy but not SUPER busy as the park had only been open 3 weekends.  The weather was perfect.  Warm, but not hot.  Humid, but not soak your shirt sticky.  No bugs yet.  No misters everywhere to wet you on every corner just so you won't die of heat on the Kiddie Park premises.  

On another note, we were thrilled that Joe was able to attend the Kiddie Park with us!  It is great being able to see his family complete again.  I love seeing his girls happy and just to be near him.  I love watching Angela be able to talk and touch and listen to her husband just feet from her rather than thousands of miles away.  

I love this picture of them for several reasons.  The biggest reason is because I think Joe looks so incredibly happy in this shot.  Joe is not the biggest fan of pictures and isn't always considered photogenic (Sorry Joe, but you know it's true).  In this picture you can tell...his smile is genuine.  He is happy.  He is home.  He is safe.  He is with this wife again.  That should make everyone's heart happy. And Angela looks super hot and SKINNY.  Awesome!