On Mother's Day we did what many Twin Citians seem to do on a sunny weekend. We headed over to Stillwater of course. Destination? Teddy Bear Park. I had heard of this playground mecca through friends. It is located at South 2nd and Nelson near downtown Stillwater nestled in to the bottom of a cliff. It's a fantastical place for children 7 and under. The play area has huge granite teddy bears, (hence the name) a train, a treehouse, and a spiderweb made out of rope.

Ben declared "I'm a mountain goat!" as he scaled some rock steps near the rock wall.

I often stress out at crowded playgrounds. At first I envisioned one of them getting out of my vision, running out the gate to roam busy downtown Stillwater or you know, head straight for the river.

But then I looked around and thought, "What child in their right mind would leave this place?"

Later we headed up the hill to a family friendly little café called the Bikery. (904 4th St South) It's a bakery/bike shop that had something for everyone to enjoy. I savored some delicious carrot/ginger soup and bread, my husband talked vintage road bikes with one of the managers and our kids played kitchen in the play area. Win-win-win all around.

The only bad thing about the day? (besides Ben leaving his beloved "Pup" in a bike basket at the Bikery and having to turn around to retrieve his stuffed best bud once the realization hit oh, around Oakdale...)

The kids fell asleep at the tail end of the ride home resulting in one of those mini-power naps that leave them so fresh and invigorated that they don't take their "real" nap that they need. This often happens to them even on a mere 5 minute ride back from the grocery store too. Curses!