Fire Station Part Two

Our last fire station visit ended abruptly with not one, but two emergency calls that sent multiple fire engines roaring off. A friend arranged today's visit several weeks ago, and Jackson has been very eager. He asked about it all morning. This is what he chose to wear.

While his outfit was adorable, I had my doubts that he would actually wear it. Clothing like that creates attention, and that is not something my shy boy wants in public. In fact, he wouldn't even hand the firefighter the plate of cookies we baked for them until we were alone.

In an effort to avoid a repeat of last time, we requested to see the firetrucks first. One was a vintage firetruck that is only used for parades.

The trio were busy looking around, taking in their surroundings.

A particularly attractive firefighter modeled his clothing. (One of Jack's friends brought his fire fighter jacket, too!)

All but one kid cooperated for a group photo, hence the gap in the front where he should be sitting.

After touring the inside of the station and reconvening outside, Jackson decided to put on his jacket. It always takes him some time to warm up to people. As we were leaving, he wanted to know where the firemen's badges were and if they could turn on the lights on the truck.

After the tour we headed to a nearby park to play on the playground. Jack and a friend were more interested in the beach volleyball court.

The babies played. And by played, I mean rearranged pine needles and put mulch in their mouths.

Our park adventures ended when some of the moms with older children left for school pick-up. My four were all in good moods still so we headed to the library to return some very overdue books. All summer we've gone to the library in the mornings when it is overflowing with summer programs and children waiting for story time. Apparently 3:30 pm is the prime time to go to the library. We had the entire kids' area all to ourselves. Jackson put on a puppet show for his siblings. James made it his mission to pull every magnetic letter off of the board. The girls were preoccupied with grabbing books off of the shelves.

Our last week of summer has been full of adventure. Preschool starts next Tuesday, so we'll have new routines to learn. I'm not sure how much I want to go out with the babies vs. with Jackson and the babies. I'm still adjusting the trio's nap time and Maddie just started therapy twice a week. I also don't know how tired Jackson will be after preschool and how much down time he'll require. Next week will be a lot of trial and error. 

Sprayground Season Subsides

Like most public pools, the local spray grounds are open from Memorial Day to Labor Day. That means this is the final week for us to enjoy free water fun. I suggested a playdate to Nevin Park, which continues to be my favorite sprayground. Unlike the last time we went, we were the only people there for the first fifteen minutes. The large canopy provided such generous shade that it was actually pretty cold.

Jackson was initially enthusiastic and headed straight for the fountains. He was immediately blasted with cold water. It took him over an hour to recover. He wrapped himself up in a towel, sat in the sun, ignored his friends, and ate graham crackers. Amelia and Maddie refused to touch a drop of water. In fact, she preferred to seclude herself behind the stroller. The trio played with one of Jack's playmates, who is a little mother's helper in training. Contrary to the girls, James frequently crawled full force directly into the water. I don't know when children begin to understand cause and effect, but James certainly has not. Each time he'd go into the water, he appeared genuinely shocked that he became soaked. I took better pictures of Jackson's friends, who were actually playing in the water, than I did of my own kids.

The spray grounds are completely separate from the playgrounds. Today was the first time we checked out the playground. It was a huge hit. The entire playground was car themed. There was a track, car equipment, a wall of carved out tools, etc. Jackson had a smile on his face the entire time!

Since I hadn't planned on going to the playground, I didn't bring shoes for the trio to wear. They still pulled up, crawled, and climbed. The toddler playground is completely covered in rubber surfacing, which makes it so much easier for the babies to get around. Today was probably the first time James, Amelia, and Maddie actually played independently on playground equipment. One area had shallow, winding stairs that the trio loved. There weren't any drop offs so they could never have fallen more than one step. (For the record, I knew they were fine because each of them can go up and down the single stair of our landing at home). I just had to stand guard at the slide to make sure they didn't tumble down. It was a lot of fun!

This park is definitely on my list of places to take the trio after I drop Jackson off at preschool. This is the first playground I've found that can safely accommodate multiple toddlers without requiring multiple adults.

Freedom Park with Friends

Conversation with Jackson and I in the van:

J: Are we going on an adventure?

Me: Yes, we're going to the park.

J: What park are we going to?

Me: Your favorite park!

J: Tell me.

Me: It has an obstacle course.

J: We're going to the obstacle course park! Will my friends be there?

Me: Yes

J: Yay! I love my friends.

It literally took all summer, but Jackson finally considers his regular playmates his friends. As much as we love Freedom Park, we had even more fun with friends. Jackson immediately ran to the obstacle course upon arrival. It's impossible to capture it in one photo, but I found an aerial diagram of the NFL course.

The trio were hesitant to explore their surroundings.

They warmed up to the only girl of the preschool group who happily played peekaboo with them.

It's hard to get the boys to pose, so I was elated to get a semi-decent shot at the end of the course.

After running, climbing, and spinning at the obstacle course, we walked around the lake. We planned ahead for a picnic lunch.

The boys fed the ducks and looked for turtles.

Our next stop was a more traditional playground. Jackson recharged after a bit of quiet solace in a tunnel.

Finally, the kids played in the train. It was endearing for me to watch Jackson actually initiate play.

James reclaimed his title as resident wagon napper. At one point he swayed to the other side. Maddie kept poking him and laughing.

It was another gorgeous day with great weather and company. I'm curious to see if Jackson will continue to strengthen his friendships once our playdates become less frequent. Preschool resumes next week and the babies need their afternoon naps. I'm not sure that we can maintain our social calendar. Either way, I'm enjoying our time together this week!

Bowling!

Jackson had yet another "first" this summer. We registered for the Kids Bowl Free summer program and met up with several friends to go bowling. Before going, Jack and I had an in-depth discussion about what to expect. Jackson almost never wears socks, so I had to explain that he would need socks and that he would be given special shoes at the bowling alley. Like most things in his 3-year-old world, he referenced an episode of UmiZoomi where they go bowling.

When we got to the bowling alley and I handed him the shoes, he actually said, "I'm just like Bot. These shoes are comfy and stylish!" It was the most ridiculous statement ever.

We didn't have one of those ramps, so Jackson had to push the bowl down the lane with whatever force he could muster. Several of the kids' bowling balls had to be retrieved midway down the lane because they had lost momentum.

Jackson was literally biting his nails waiting to see how many (if any) pins would be knocked down. His face stayed like this the first several frames.

After a really enthusiastic start, Jack's attention span fizzled. His friends cheered his name when it was his turn. While I thought it was adorable, Jackson was not a fan of the attention. He covered his ears and began to shut down. He was more interested in the arcade games, using the bathroom, and dancing with me. I didn't force him to continue bowling, but I did make him stay the rest of the game. Perhaps we should have left while he was still in a good mood, because he had a full tantrum when the game ended:

Despite a rough ending, Jackson was only positive when retelling his first bowling experience to Jesse. That's my favorite thing about kids. They seem to always remember the good. Based on his initial excitement and his recap, I would say bowling was a success!

Mommy-Jack Date at Birkdale

We had a scheduled playdate at the Birkdale Splashpad with some CharlotteMommies friends this morning. Jackson has been so attached to Jesse this summer that I was honestly a bit worried he would refuse to go. We could have gone as a whole family but there wasn't a lot for the triplets to do and it was at 10 a.m. which is nap time. I was relieved that Jack was excited to play in the water and eager to leave. 

Jackson takes at least 5 minutes to even leave my side when we go to different playdates.  Even then, he rarely plays with kids unless he knows them well. I know he interacts with his preschool friends, so I'm not too worried. It would just be nice if he was a bit more social. Oh well. He still had loads of fun without technically playing with his peers.

After an hour we walked back to the car and discussed lunch plans. Jackson wanted a hotdog. I didn't know of any restaurants nearby that sold hotdogs but we parked beside a Qdoba. Thankfully, Jack was equally excited when I suggested tacos for lunch.

We took silly pictures after we ate. Jack said, "Let's make a pretend grumpy face."

I was a nanny for a family that lived in Birkdale one summer. I ended up taking Jackson everywhere I used to take those kids. We spent some time at Barnes & Noble. As soon as Jack saw this display, he exclaimed, "Let's read 'Let it Go!"

After reading a few Frozen books, Jackson played with the awesome train table. (Elizabeth, did you spend as much time here as I did?)

After reading more books and building skyscrapers at a Lego table, we walked to the playground. I was proud of myself for remembering where it was. We were the only two people on the playground which made it even more fun.

Nothing beats going on four different adventures with Jack without having to drive to different places. I love this neighborhood. I wish we had entertainment within walking distance from our house. We had a really fun day together free from any tantrums or meltdowns, which is becoming rare these days. It's so nice to spend time with my happy Jack!

Sprayground

We had an exceptionally fun morning at a nearby sprayground. I met up with some other mommy friends for a playdate at the park. Having never been to a sprayground, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I was very happy with the amount of shade produced by the canopy, as well as the shaded seating around the circumference. 

We have a couple of nearby water parks and pools that I would love to take Jackson to, but I cannot manage four children in the water by myself. The sprayground was a perfect alternative. Jack still got to wear his bathing suit and get soaked without me having to dive in after anyone.

There was a school group there at the same time. The crowds did not interfere with our positive experience.

Next time we go I will be sure to bring small buckets and other water toys. The only thing I had was soft frisbees that I let the babys gnaw on. Jackson happily made do.

I brought the blanket and baby toys for the trio to play with. They each started out like this:

It didn't take long at all for curious James to crawl towards the fountains. I should have dressed the babies in bathing suits, too.

Thankfully my mom friends helped watch the babies while I gave each kid individual attention. I let each baby take a turn splashing in the water and grabbing the streams of water. James and Amelia enjoyed it. Maddie was unpleasantly startled. 

Jackson wore himself out after over an hour of play. We never made it to the actual playground side of the park. He requested lunch, which I would have brought with us had I known how much fun we would have. Jack wrapped himself up in a towel and watched others play while I loaded the babies into the stroller and made last minute small talk.

We will definitely be returning soon!