Sprinklers, and Strangers, and Cameras....Oh my!

Funny little story about our last trip to the sprinkler park...

{Photo: Ethan post-sprinkler park showing off his sunscreen hair}

Ethan isn't too fond of the sprinkler park. He doesn't like getting water on his head or face and inadvertently he always gets a little bit too wet when he goes there. Each trip we make he gets a little braver and a little better about it but most of the time he walks around the edge of the splash zone and splashes in the puddles.

When we arrived at the sprinkler park, I had to walk by the adjacent playground. He started bouncing up and down on my hip as we walked by. I could tell he was excited. As I started to walk past the playground though he started to shake his head "no" at me. The further away we got the more he started to shake his head "no". Then he saw we were approaching the sprinkler park and he started vehemently shaking his head no and digging his knees into my hip like "don't even think about putting me down!".

Once we joined his friends at the sprinkler park he was okay with it and started walking around the perimeter splashing in the water. Then he saw the man. The man with the Canon DSLR camera. He was entranced. The man was trying to take pictures of his little boy playing in the water but it was a little hard to do with my son standing between him and his camera, and his son. That's right, my little ham went and stood between them and started making his "cheesecake" face at the camera.
 

{Photo: Cheesecake grin.}

I don't know where he learned that. I love taking candid photos of Ethan and don't tell him to smile at the camera. This is something he has picked up on his own. I apologized to the man and took Ethan to another part of the splash park. Didn't seem to matter though, Ethan wouldn't leave the man alone and kept seeking him out and trying to join in on his family's activities or be in their pictures. He even went up to the man and sat in his lap when he pulled out lunch for his child. Ah!!! Silly kid. (and embarrassed mom!)

Maybe if I had brought my camera to the splash park my child would have stayed with me and left the man with the camera alone. Haha, here's to wishful thinking!