saturday, in the park!

No, it wasn't the Fourth of July, as Chicago sang, but 'twas a brilliant day!
I was at Forsyth Park with my twin great-nieces!!!
Their parents were there, too, of course, as was their maternal grandmother.
But mostly, it was Alyssa and Leila time!!!

First came fun in the playground area.
Swings!!! With their Dada, my nephew Michael, pushing them super high! Wow!
Then, over the the dragonfly seesaw!
Good thing Dada was there to make that bug wiggle for them!
(smile)

Time for the picnic after all that running around!
Their mom, Melanie, made croissant sandwiches - yum!
Lots of apple slices and blueberries to snack on, too!
Leila (in the blue) and Alyssa (clad in pink) watched the Battle Balls further afield.
Then it was time to open presents! Oh my!
That's because G'Aunt Tina (that would be me) still had their birthday gifts and Christmas gifts, too, fresh from the gift closet where they had been patiently waiting.
(smile)
Disney books for bedtime! In their own little carrying case!
Necklaces with flowers (which became headbands!)!
Sheets full of glossy, puffy stickers, too, with dinosaurs for Alyssa and bees and butterflies for Leila!
Photo albums to document the family history, one for each girl!
And lovely, lovely, jellyfish-adorned tote bags from the Ocean Film Festival last year! (Melanie really liked those!!!)
The bags came in handy later, too...for the Easter egg hunt!

Melanie and I hid the eggs while Michael and Sherry kept the girls occupied.
I say "hid", but truly they were in plain sight, scattered around tree roots and low limbs of azalea bushes.
The girls had very different egg-hunting styles!
Leila would pick up the plastic egg, pop it open, and admire the toy or sticker or ring inside.
Then she would walk over to another and repeat, enjoying the contents thoroughly before moving on the the next.
Not Alyssa! She was on a mission to gather as many eggs as she could see!
She didn't stop even once to crack open an egg and investigate!
How very interesting to see the differences in their personalities!
What a fabulous way to pass almost four hours!
Time just flew by!
Thank you, Melanie, for inviting me!!!

i thank You, God, for such a glorious day for our time together!