In His Steps: Splash Pad Palooza!

Even though Bartlesville can't afford to run Sooner Pool this summer, they still open the brand spankin' new Splash Pad for all to enjoy....for FREE! Had I known about this earlier in the summer Gabe and I would probably have already visited it several times. Gabe's cousins from Alabama are in town this week, so we all met up there this morning for some Splash Pad Palooza.

The fountains all worked splendidly and the kids really had a wonderful time playing. My one complaint is that the pad isn't a pad at all, it's a concrete slab, which of course makes it quite treacherous for little feet. But, a pair of shoes with good traction pretty well take care of that problem. Gabe was a little timid about the fountains, but had some fun sticking his fingers in the sprays of water. Some of the fountains are on a timer so you don't really know when they'll be coming on or going off. At one point Gabe's face happened to be in the direct path of one of the sprayers and he was literally paralyzed with fear, shock, I don't even know how to label it really, but I literally had to walk over and pull him out of the spray.

We went early in the morning (9 am when it opened) and no one else even joined us until almost 10 am. There were probably ten kids total the whole time we were there and they were all little. It was perfect weather and there are canopies over the picnic tables, so the adults can sit in the shade. I got some great photos.

Checking things out...and liking what he sees.

"Am I supposed to go over there...in the water?"

"Yeah, Buddy. Have fun."

"Okay, if you insist...."

Abby says, "Come on, Gabe. I'll show you how it's done."

Gabe says, "I don't know about this, Abby...."

Abby loved it. Gabe...not so much by the look on his face.

Guess it wasn't all that bad. He's still smiling!

Okay, now look at the next three photos and see if you can determine which child was the first to bite the dust.

Abby you think?

Maybe Jacob?

Or, was it Gabe?

And, the answer is.....Abby! Although, I must note that Jacob fell the hardest. He bit it so hard he literally scraped paint off the concrete onto his teeth. Got a bit of a fat lip and a minor cut, but it didn't take him long to go back at it, running full speed. Ahem, I mean walking quickly. Cause we all know running isn't allowed at the Splash Pad. The signs say so. :-)