Rainy Mall Days

The nonstop rain has made me realize how much I rely on parks and outdoor play to keep us busy. Thankfully there are two large malls less than 15 minutes from our house. Last week we spent a morning at Concord Mills in their vegetable garden themed play area. The kids wore their Mickey Mouse necklaces that they received after helping "open" the Disney Store. It was a strange production with lights, wands, reciting a magic spell, and wearing a special hat. 

On Tuesday I took the trio to Northlake Mall to climb in their large Looney Tunes themed play area. It used to creep me out thinking of kids running around barefoot in those areas. The surfaces are too slick to wear socks, so we embraced the abundance of germs (along with a dozen other children). Amelia watched the older kids climb and followed their lead.

Then James and Maddie followed Amelia. People always ask if the trio go in three different directions. At 18 months old, they definitely did. Now at 2 years old, they travel in a pack almost everywhere they go. Most of the time, where one goes, two will follow.

Of course, there are times when they do their own thing, but they're always looking around for one another. As soon as James wandered to the duck, it didn't take long for Amelia and Maddie to find "quack quack".

As tired as I am of the rain, I so appreciate having fun, free places to take the toddlers. I especially love being able to observe their interactions with each other and their peers.