In the heat of Texas, Splash Pads/ Spraygrounds/ Splash Parks are all the rage for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. These are generally city owned and operated parks that involve water sprayers and sprinkler type structures.  There are no pools of water, which is great for children who cannot yet swim, and it’s a relief for parents supervising little ones. Plus they are my favorite price, free! I’ve been itching to give one a try all season.

Even though I’ve been more caviler in taking the quads out myself, I was more than relieved to have my friend, Kristen, join us.  An extra set of hands and eyes is always nice for a new excursion.  Though I don’t typically dress the quads in matching threads, I bought matchy suits especially for the sprayground.  I’ve found that dressing the kids alike helps me keep tabs on everyone if they’ll have opportunities to dart away.

When we arrived at the sprayground, the quads hesitantly followed Kristen and I through the gates. We spotted an empty table shaded by an awning and staked claim with our baggage.   I planned on the kids playing in the water for a while, then breaking for lunch.  Much to my dismay, not one of the kids was eager to approach the water.  Kristen and I made a decision to enjoy an early picnic, giving the kids time to observe their peers at play before giving it a whirl.

After polishing off our meal, the quads were still uninterested in playing.  Eventually the boys decided to explore with Kristen.  It was going well until another sprayer unexpectedly doused them.  They were D-O-N-E at that point, and the girls were not having any part of this wet mania. Kristen and I took turns taking kids through the tame misters, and every single child blubbered and wailed through the entire experience.  We were miserable.  It wasn’t long before we cut this field trip short and headed home.

To prove we were all at the splahsground, Kristen snapped this photo-

Getting four two year olds ready for the sprayground was a huge undertaking and I didn’t want all the effort going to waste.  Once at home, we filled up trusty inflatable giraffe pool, which the quads thoroughly enjoyed before nap time arrived.

Following nap, we hit up or local frozen yogurt shop for an afternoon snack.  The quads got a kick out of choosing their own flavors and toppings.  Sydney chose classic chocolate, which she dribbled all over her yellow and white dress (if you have tips for removing chocolate frozen yogurt from clothing- I’m open to suggestions!). In the past, shaving cream removed chocolate stains, but not this one.

I’m not giving up on the concept of a splash pad/ sprayground just yet.  We have a sprinkler for the yard, and I’m hoping it will help the quads warm up to sprayers.  Even if it wasn’t a total success, we knocked more items off our summer bucket list!

1. Movies
2. Sea Life Aquarium
3. Train ride
4. Fire station tour
5. Library story time
6. Sprayground
7. Zoo
8. Bahama Buck’s
9. Frozen yogurt
10. Community pool
11. Grill dinner outside
12. Water Table
13. Inflatable Pool
14. Sprinklers
15. Ice Cream
16. Indoor playgrounds
17. Lee’s Grilled Cheese
18. Blow bubbles
19. Chalk drawings
20. Board games
21. Play dates
22. Summer Reading Club
23. Dance classes
24. Fireworks
25. Sleep over with grandparents
26. Nature Walks
27. Bounce house
28. Popsicles
29. S’mores
30. Sparklers
31. Water pistol duels

hugs,

Amber

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