Kennedy has been begging to go swimming, so I decided to take her to the Natatorium (close to Brahan Springs Park) on Tuesday morning. One of our friends came along with her five year old daughter and eleven month old baby. When we got there we were informed that either we had to swim with the girls (because they did not meet the height requirement) or the girls had to pass a swim test to swim without us. What!?! They just want to play in the four-foot end!!! Well, we ladies were NOT swimming, so we said test them! Now, a 25-yard swim does not seem like much, but for a five and a six year old, it’s pretty long. Kennedy jumped in, and swam across!!! She passed. I was SO proud of her! She definitely has her momma’s love of the water. Unfortunately, when her friend tried to swim across, she was just too scared to try. She would go about a quarter of the way and turn around. I really believe she could have made it, but that pool was so tiny compared to her that it scared her. Kennedy played for a while, and then we all left to go eat at Chick-fil-A. The girls had a great time playing on the playground, especially when the rain began! We will have to go to the natatorium again. It was so private. There were never more than four other people in there, and they were just swimming laps.
Since we stayed home this year for fall break, I tried to find a few fun places for us to go. On Monday I took Kennedy and her best friend E to Kid Venture, an indoor playground for toddlers to nine year olds. The cost is $8 per person, and adults are free. A monthly family membership is $28. I did not know how the area was set up, so I took Case to daycare for a few hours while the girls played. There are all sorts of things to play on. There is a wooden pirate ship, an inflatable obstacle course (with jumping area), air hockey (for free—my fav), skee ball (for free), a bouncy horse, a circle of bicycles, a new age seesaw, a small jungle gym, and lots more. It was worth the money, and I would take Case next time. There is a toddler play area in the same room, so you can watch your toddler and your older child(ren) at the same time. Case would be able to play in both areas. Also, there are tables in the lobby area, and you can bring in outside food and just eat lunch there. We only stayed for about an hour, and the girls were worn out. We had lunch at McDonald’s and picked up Case. We will have to go back during Christmas break. Have you been yet? What did you think of Kid Venture?
This time last year, Case was only ten weeks old, and I was on maternity leave. We decided we needed a little getaway, so we went to Atlanta. We stayed at the Hilton in Downtown, and the view was amazing. I lived in Atlanta until I was almost ten, so I always enjoy visiting. Matt, on the other hand, does not like the traffic.
While we were there, we did a lot of walking, sightseeing, and eating.
On our first day there, we walked from our hotel to the Atlanta Aquarium. I liked it okay; Matt and Kennedy were more into it. Case slept the whole time we were in there (must have been the dim lighting). My favorite area was the shark tank because you stood on a conveyor and looked up to see the sharks and other fish. I also liked the whales A LOT!
After the aquarium we went to the World of Coke, and I think we all liked it better than we liked the aquarium. There was so much to explore there, and you got to taste all sorts of free coke products (not that I even drink soda, except Sprite). Then Kennedy played across the street at Centennial Park. That was a wonderful day.
The next day we went to the American Girl store that is at a mall right outside of Atlanta. After going to the store, for Christmas last year, Kennedy just had to have an American Girl doll! She has never been too into dolls, but we splurged on this one, and we will probably NEVER do so again, because she just does not play with it too much!
While we were in Atlanta we ate at The Cheesecake Factory, which was definitely worth the money!!! We are almost willing to drive to Atlanta just to eat there and then drive straight back home! That was the best cheesecake I have ever had! The day we left we even went back by and each got another piece to go. We also ate at the ESPN Zone, but we were not too thrilled with it.
The most memorable part of the trip was Case crying almost the whole way there and back. Well, and also stopping at the Children’s Place outlet store!
I am so glad that we took that trip! It wasn’t a huge trip, but Kennedy has wonderful memories of it, and so do I. We are planning a big spring break trip this year, and we can’t wait to surprise our princess and prince with it! What is your favorite weekend getaway?
Case has developed a few obsessions.
Obsession #1: Stairs
Case LOVES to climb stairs. I have NO idea how he learned to climb them. He did not learn at day care, and we didn’t teach him. While at Kennedy’s first ice skating lesson, he discovered the stairs, and just started semi-crawling up them. I was really impressed. Since then he has become a stair master. He can crawl/climb stairs like a pro. I had to start leaving him at daycare while I go to Kennedy’s ice skating lesson, or else I just end up chasing him around the stairs the whole time. At church the other day we were in the kitchen, and he got away from me while I was getting him something to eat. I looked at the stairs, and there Case was, climbing as quickly as he could. He has yet to discover our stairs. We hardly ever use them, and I have a storage tub in front of them right now. We have to get a gate this weekend. I keep saying that…
Obsession #2: Throwing Blocks and Balls
For some reason Case loves the sound of his blocks and balls hitting the tile floor. He throws his toys all over the tile floor, retrieves them, and throws them again. A sure way to get Case to play in the floor is to clean up all of his toys. He has a desperate need to destroy them!!!
If there is an open door in Case’s vicinity, it will soon be closed, so watch your fingers.
Obsession #4: Turning on the Faucet
Case loves to turn on the water to our garden tub. He can reach the handles, and he loves to splash his hands in the water. The only problem is that he usually just turns on the hot water, so we have to turn the cold on to make it warm.
Obsession #5: Eating Socks
For some reason Case loves to chew on socks. He does not take a pacifier or suck his thumb (or his fingers like Kennedy did), but he loves to chew on socks. He actually laid down for his nap today with a sock….
The week before Fall Break was pretty busy. Perhaps that’s why I am so far behind on posting. I am co-leading Kennedy’s Daisy Scouts troop this year, and we had a trip to the police station. Since Matt insisted that the yard HAD to be mowed (There were only three weeks of rain, c’mon!), Case joined the troop that night.
Doesn’t Miss Kennedy look too cute in her ‘stylish’ hat? She just had to have a ‘stylish’ hat, and I found this one for a decent price at Children’s Place. The police station visit was a big hit, once the girls got to sit in the car, that is!
Kennedy’s first grade class went to Burritt on the Mountain that week also. My class actually went with her class, so I got to sit with her on the bus and at lunch. I love that she is in first grade with me!!! The field trip was SOOOO much fun! I’ll post more pictures of it on my class blog. Yes, I have a class blog too. I need to spend tonight or tomorrow night catching up on it!
After a long field trip day, Kennedy spent time playing with Case and the Ball Popper! Case loves for us to sit in the floor and play with him. However, he is much better at independent play than Kennedy ever was. The other morning I put away clean dishes and washed dirty dishes while he played and threw blocks all over the house! Don’t they look so grown up in their jeans?
