Scooting with Seth

It was an uncharacteristically playground filled Sunday. After playing in the Wash Square sandbox all morning while E worked, we met Seth and his skateboard in Central Park. We rock climbed and scooted and then rode the carousel. I don't know what it is about a carousel that makes me so damn emotional, but it gets me every time. Maybe its the extreme motion sickness, but I get all choked up about how lovely our life is and what a fortunate life P leads, yadi yadi. And what, with the whirring around at the speed of slow-light, with blooming lilac bushes and skyscrapers as the streaming background to your kid's face, really, the effect is nothing short of magic.

I don't know if P feels the magic, but I do know he can't pass a carousel without riding it :) So after some spinning, we scooted/skateboarded to the park's huge playground and Seth, E and P rock climbed and played some more. P's adoration for his Uncle is unbelievable and this made his month. There's a fabulous hill-dip combo with sproingy-soft flooring to ride, skate, scoot and roll on there. P made fast friends with an older roller-blader who even asked to push P on the swings. He was a really sweet kid and it was the second time that day that P made buddies on the playground. Back at Wash Square an 8-9 year old named Austin became enormously enamoured with Phoenix and Baby Brother. He saw P burying and kicking BB while I did the squeeling/complaining that is Baby Brother's mainstay and thought we were a virtual Laurel and Hardy. He happily helped bury BB, looking around like we were doing something illegal. Then he really got into it. He started chucking the poor doll everywhere, stomping on him, sticking him in buckets and sitting on him, instructing me to make him scream. His pear shaped body put a lot more strain on our pink pal than P's little butt , but the image of our closeted back-up BB helped me stay calm. P, meanwhile, was totally chill. I don't know if it was the kid's size/age or the fact that he seemed as happy to beat BB up as P does, but P was fine sharing something that he generally tackles anyone for touching.

On the way home from Central Park we passed a Huge hill that ended sharply and curved back up. P wanted the larger riders to tackle the slope, setting a safe example. He thought about it, but I think he realized this was even steeper than the one that tossed him, so he declined a descent. Seth went down for one more go and, without the ease of brakes like on our scooters, he did a number on his elbow. P yelped and ran down to him :) It was pretty cute to see him so concerned for someone. After we bandaged his arm, Seth mentioned he thought the fall had gotten his ass too. P clucked his concern and told Seth to let him have a look, walking behind him to pull down his pants :) Ahhh, the social innocence of a three year old.