Carolinas Aviation Museum

A friend texted me first thing this morning to let me know that a local aviation museum was offering free admission for the day. I was excited to take advantage of a free event that I knew would offer lots of interesting subject matter for us to see. Jesse did not share my enthusiasm, but he agreed to join us. There were commercial and military planes and helicopters on exhibit. Some were more interactive than others, but all were interesting.

The picture below is of a helicopter used during the Vietnam War. As I've gotten older I find myself blindsided by moments where I am flooded with thoughts of my father. It's almost an out of body experience where I think, "Oh, I wonder if Dad took helicopters into Vietnam. I'll have to ask him about it later."  I haven't had that luxury for sixteen years, which makes me mourn the fact that I will never have a relationship with him as an adult.

Back to reality...
Jackson was able to sit in the pilot's seat of two different planes. This 2-passenger plane was used to train future pilots. The museum staff member was quick to provide information about the plane.

The other interactive exhibit was actually just the cockpit of a plane. Another boy smaller than Jackson sat on the right side. It reminded me of driver's ed because both of the steering wheels moved together. We unfortunately figured this out when Jackson moved his controls and the other controls kept hitting the little boy in the face.  Oops! Jackson would have happily spent more time in the pilot's seat if there wasn't a growing line behind us.

The biggest claim to fame of this museum is that it houses the "Miracle on the Hudson" where Captain Sully was able to safely land the plane in the Hudson River. (You can watch a flight simulation of Flight 1549 here.)

The only time we let James, Amelia, and Maddie out of the stroller is when they were allowed to play in the emergency inflatable slide that served as a life raft for the passengers. 

Here's a picture of the damaged tail of the plane. I wish I had taken a picture of the placard because I really don't know what exactly this is, but I know it should be connected to the rest of the plane!

Because the museum lacked air conditioning, the outdoor exhibits felt quite pleasant in comparison thanks to the occasional breeze. The big boys walked up the stairs as if they were about to board the plane. Jackson wanted to open the door, which was inaccessible. I'm sure he'll have the opportunity to do so one day.

After learning about Flight 1549, Jack was quite concerned about dead geese and kept inquiring about the geese with every plane we saw.

I've taken the kids to an airport overlook park to watch planes land and take-off a few times. However, the museum parking lot provides a much better view with much less volume than the overlook park. You can't see the runway or the planes taxiing, but there are perfectly clear shots of the massive planes taking off.

The best part is that there are huge open fields. The triplets were getting antsy from being confined in their strollers for so long. We let them eat their lunch in the grass. (Random fact: At 13 months old, the trio had their first peanut butter and jelly sandwich today.)

Since there wasn't any shade in the grass Jackson found a secluded concrete tunnel to rest inside.

My happy boy...

We had a really fun morning. Events like this make me especially grateful that we live in a large city that has a variety of fun, free activities for us to do together as a family!

IKEA

We enjoyed lunch, shopping, and hours of entertainment for $10 this afternoon. My favorite thing about IKEA is that we have the same high chairs at home so everything feels familiar.

Jackson wanted to sit in the kids area so he could immediately play after he ate. We sat across from him.

The kid's showrooms provide plenty of fun for all four kids. There are tents, tunnels, inflatable toys, stuffed animals, puppets, tiny furniture, and more. Everything is perfectly designed for their size.

This area was a popular spot today among exhausted, pregnant mothers of toddlers. I had no clue which child belonged to which mom since no adult seemed to be supervising any child, but at least mine were easily manageable today.

Our exciting purchase was new tupperware. We have a bad habit of giving ours away (or others have a bad habit of not returning it). Either way, I love the IKEA containers. They are cheap but the lid seals nicely. They don't stain when you heat up sauce or other colorful foods. They stack neatly in the cabinets.

IKEA never disappoints!

Barnes & Noble

We registered for a different event at Barnes & Noble two days in a row. On Friday night, Jackson accompanied Jesse to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle pajama and pizza party. Jackson has developed a new interest in Ninja Turtles, almost as much as Batman. He loves wearing his "turtle jammies", which was the perfect choice for the party. Jack asked if we could make a mask to go along with his pajamas. I took him to A.C. Moore and spent 50¢ on orange and blue felt. After tracing and cutting a mask template, Jackson refused to wear the thing. I may have gone a bit crazy and threatened to not let him go to the party if he didn't let me take a picture of him wearing the mask. As soon as I did, he threw the mask on the driveway.

The boys returned home just as excited as when they left. Jack proudly showed me his new mask, as well as the nunchucks he made using toilet paper rolls and ribbon.

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This morning our whole family headed to another Barnes & Noble to meet Clifford. Jackson has slept with at least one stuffed Clifford since he started daycare when he was 16 months old. Since Clifford has been his security and comfort object for years, I was so excited to see the "Breakfast with Clifford" event on the website.

As soon as we arrived, Jackson was full of questions.

• Where's Emily Elizabeth?
• Does he have soft ears?
• What's wrong with his eyes? (referring to the creepy netting)
• Will the door be big enough for Clifford to fit through?
• Did he drive here? 

After meeting Clifford, we let the babies loose in the storytime area. Amelia stole another girl's doll and a boy's sippy cup. Maddie befriended the boy. They laughed and climbed together. James practiced going up and down the single stair. It was a bit chaotic, but provided a fun space for the trio to explore.

I didn't see any upcoming events in the immediate future that would interest Jackson, but I always like to check every few weeks to see what free entertainment we can take advantage of. This weekend proved to be a lot of fun!

Zootastic

Zootastic is a very small zoo that allows kids to get up close and personal with the animals on exhibit. Jackson and his MiMi went to this zoo with his preschool class in October. Today was Teacher Appreciation Day at the zoo, which meant all family members received free admission AND a free lunch. 

Jesse decided to go into work today, but I never pass up free entertainment. The kids and I left immediately after Maddie's PT. 

I showed my teacher badge upon arrival and received a ticket for the meal and program. I didn't realize we would be assigned a specific time to eat and I didn't even know there was a program. We had an hour before lunch so we leisurely strolled through the exhibits and playgrounds. The babies were in the double umbrella and Ergo. (Our quad stroller is missing a wheel and the seat belts aren't installed in the wagon.)

I was much more excited about the animals than the kids were. Jack just walked around nonchalantly as if he is regularly within inches from giraffes, camels, llamas, and tigers!  The babies followed each animal with their eyes and appeared mildly curious. 

I was so impressed with the play area. There were large playgrounds for the big kids and several playsets for toddlers. I always bring the blanket since the babies prefer to crawl and pull up. The babies enjoyed a much-needed break from their confined stroller/ergo. All appeared happy to move around and play.

Lunch was very stressful. I arrived a few minutes early. I set everything up in the barn, put the babies on the blanket, and made the bottles, all before realizing there was a growing line of people waiting to pick up their lunch outside. We waited on the trio to finish their bottles before packing up and joining a line that had doubled in length. Jackson was amazingly patient under the circumstances. By the time we got our food, there was no longer any room left in the barn so we had to eat in the hot sun. While it was not ideal, I can't complain about free hamburgers, hotdogs, chili, slaw, chips, and drinks.

Now would be a good time to mention how challenging it was to wear a hot baby and push a double umbrella stroller through thick mulch, gravel, and hay. I could not maneuver the stroller in between picnic tables or through certain doors. After our lunch, bathroom breaks, and diaper changes, we headed to the indoor amphitheater for the program. I was immediately greeted by the sign, "NO STROLLERS!" After a bit of negotiation, the employees took out some chairs and made room on the floor level for the stroller.

The program was led by a Jack Hanna type character who taught about a variety of animals. Of course, he promoted field trips and other ways for teachers to collaborate with the zoo. He pulled out animals and allowed audience members to feed, touch, wear, etc the animals.

Unfortunately, it was at this point in the day that James decided he'd had enough. Neither pacifier, Ergo, rocking, swinging, nor pretzels could console him. We sneaked out during the presentation. (And by sneaked out, I mean, asked multiple people to move so I could unlock the second door and fit through the doorway--all while wearing a screaming baby.)

Though this was one of the harder solo outings I've done in a while, it was a change of pace, free, and fun. It's hard to find safe places for the babies to explore and have fun. It's even harder to balance my attention between all four kids and ensure that Jackson still feels special. 

Not surprisingly, every kid fell asleep on the way home.

Summer Solstice: Reedy Creek

The plan this morning was to buy out the local Farmer's Market. Not only was the selection of produce unimpressive, but the worker was downright rude. Completely disappointed, we made up for it by going to the park. With Jesse home for the summer, we were able to divide and conquer so that all four kids could crawl through tunnels and go down slides. The kids had fun despite some extremely obnoxious, unsupervised children taking over the playground.

We continued our park adventures by exploring the adjacent nature center and trails. The nature center could have easily provided free entertainment for an hour or more. Jack checked out the numerous reptiles and stuffed animals. 

There was a baby-friendly area with building blocks, smooth wooden logs, puppets, and a large tent. James spent most of his time moving logs around while Maddie and Amelia enjoyed the plethora of hand puppets.

It was so nice to be able to walk around the trails together as a family. The early morning weather wasn't too hot or humid yet, which created an ideal environment. It's so important to me that Jesse and I are active with the kids and our children are able to enjoy playing outdoors.

After a busy morning, we still couldn't leave without stopping to play on this hidden gem. Jackson and I frequent dozens of playgrounds, but this is probably the most unique one.

No surprise, Jesse and I pulled into the garage with a van full of four sleeping children. Our first day of summer was a success!

Superior Play and Airport Overlook

I'm always on the lookout for free things to do that are appropriate for Jackson.  Several months ago I learned of a warehouse that sales private playsets, trampolines, and commercial playgrounds.  Everything is on display in an enormous showroom.  It is open free to the public every Wednesday and Friday from 10-1.  I was told to arrive closer to 10 a.m. since they put a cap on how many people are allowed in the showroom at one time.  I've been trying to go for quite a few weeks now but something has always prohibited us from going.  Today was the day!

The playroom is all the way across town and it took about 40 minutes to get there. I was skeptical if it would be worth the drive, but we were not disappointed!

Per usual, Jackson spent several minutes looking around before playing.

James and Amelia waited for their big brother at the bottom of the slide.



Jack was a master at rock climbing on his first try! 



Scoping things out on the trampoline before jumping.

While Jackson had a blast and it was an awesome morning of free fun, I still don't think it would be worth the drive if we didn't find something else to do in the area.  I asked some moms in the showroom what they recommended to do nearby, but everything they suggested cost money.  I decided we would head towards home and stop along the way if anything caught our interest. 

The international airport is about ten minutes from the play place. I remembered Jesse and I taking Jackson to the airport overlook before the triplets were born.  The skies were crystal clear, so I thought it would be a great place to eat our lunch. If I had planned ahead today, I would have made lunch.  Instead, I drove through Burger King, spent $4 on burgers, and parked at the overlook. It was too cold eat outside, but we enjoyed our lunch with a view of airplanes landing and taking off.

Ideal lunch for Jackson



Watching a plane take off



 

Maddie was curious, but unimpressed



Waiting on the taxiway

James was especially amused.



"Whoa! What was that? Come back?"



Fall Festival: Round Two

We were invited to attend a fall festival/trunk or treat event by my sister-in-law.  This meant I needed to figure out the babies' Halloween costumes ASAP!  We have so many solid pink onesies, I originally had the three little pigs in mind.  Then I realized how cold it would be and how hard it was to find affordable baby pig hats.  I had no clue how expensive Halloween costumes cost!  I set my budget for $30 and after a lot of digging and borrowing, I was able to create a lion, tiger, and bear outfit. 

I'm still not satisfied with the bear outfit, so I'll have to get a bit more creative for James. 

Jackson had his choice of Halloween costumes, but he ultimately decided on this $2 skeleton costume we found at a thrift store. 

The outdoor festival had several activities for kids to do such as bean bag tosses and bowling.  Nowadays they don't let you bob for apples, so the popular thing to do is bite a dangling doughnut off of a string using only your mouth.  Jackson and his big cousin were hilarious to watch!

After lots of laughter and failed attempts, Jackson used his hand to shove the doughnut into his mouth.   

After games and candy, it was time for the hayride. The boys were equally excited.

 

Before leaving the church, we managed to get a decent family picture.  I'm pretty sure the last picture we took with all six of us was taken on the day the triplets were born.

After the outdoor fun, we headed off to CiCi's with the family, and then to visit PaPa.  While eating pizza we received a most bizarre comment that Jesse and I must be like rabbits.  Umm...inappropriate, lady!  Overall, it was a busy, fun-filled Saturday.