This is our favorite park. The playground equipment hasn't changed from when I was little-- except that they took away the rope, jungle-gym thing that earned the name "Spider Web Park". I've told Kearstyn & Glynnis that's where we're having our photo session and they get more and more excited as we get closer to the parking lot.

Kearstyn & Glynnis are my cousin's girls. (I don't know what that makes them to me... is it second cousins? Cousins once removed? It doesn't entirely matter I suppose... they're adorable and I relish the chance to spend the afternoon with them.)

This winter has been a bizarre and slightly depressing one. Lots of gray days and rain, meaning it's impossible to get out and play because it's just ice. That doesn't stop the girls from exploring and racing around the old equipment. As someone who doesn't have kids of my own, it's fascinating to watch little ones play. Glynnis stops abruptly to examine a mini-waterfall gushing from a crack in a retaining wall. Kearstyn busies herself clearing the spiral slide of water so she can use it. They both take off, splashing through muddy water, collecting ice chunks, and making silly faces for the camera.

Kearstyn has a mind for photography. She tells me about a "Hunger Games" parody she wants to make this summer with her friends-- explaining to me how she plans on building a green screen. She bounds over to a bench, checks it for sturdiness, and tells me she thinks it would make a good shot.
I think she's right.

For a cold and dreary day, they bound around longer than expected. It's only with the promise of hot chocolate that I manage to convince them to head back to the car after about an hour of racing around. All in all, a lovely day with these two wonderful sisters.

For the full gallery, click here.