Last weekend, some friends of ours invited us to join them on a picnic and playdate in Chaoyang Park. This is a great park, located only a few minutes drive (yes, I drive in China! Yes, I’m scared shitless!) from our house, and has not only the usual duck-filled pond, large trees, and big grassy areas but also a petting zoo, an amusement park, and even a fake beach.

And, a big bouncy castle.

To say Charlotte loved that bouncy castle would be the understatement of the year! This kid is obsessed with jumping right now, it’s pretty much her favourite thing to do after eating peanut butter and swimming in the kiddie pool. But a bouncy castle takes the whole jumping thing to crazy new heights!

This bouncy castle also had a big bouncy slide!

And a bouncy ball area!

Once we tired the kiddos out, it was dinner time. One of my favourite things about living in Beijing is that pretty much every restaurant delivers. And, apparently, they’ll deliver pretty much anywhere: we ordered a couple of pizzas and sprawled out on the grass for a pizza picnic.

Bouncy castles and pizza, a pretty good way to spend a summer day!