Special Outings

During our Christmas holiday time at Grammy and Papa's, we went out on the town for a few special outings:

Obstacle Warrior Kids

This gym was set up to resemble various American Ninja Warrior courses. It was the first time any of us had visited a site like this. Jaden and Cody were a little on the young side to successfully be able to make their way through most of the obstacles, but they still seemed to enjoy trying.

In the back of the gym was a section for much younger kids containing a foam block pit, a few climbing obstacles, and a trampoline. Adley liked exploring this section and especially giggled when she was bounced on the trampoline.

Looking at Christmas Lights in Style!

One evening, Matt borrowed a bus from the school where he works, and the whole family piled in so we could drive around town looking at Christmas lights. All of the kids thought it was so special to be able to ride together in this large bus. What a unique adventure!

Jaden and Ian

Downtown Children's Museum

Our family had only visited this museum once before, so we were excited to try it out again. It ended up being a VERY busy day to visit, but we still thought our time there was worthwhile.

Cody enjoyed pretending to be a weatherman in Kidtropolis, the section of the museum set up to resemble a miniature city where the kids can work at jobs, earn paychecks, a spend money at grocery stores and restaurants.

Cody and Jaden played at this exhibit for quite some time, trying to devise the perfect pathway for a rolling ball.

I loved watching the boys talk to each other on these payphones (after, of course, I had to explain to them what these foreign contraptions even were!). Both phones even had little video cameras so they could see each other while they were talking.

This section for catching rubber fish and crabs in nets was also one of the boys' favorites.

Daddy took the boys climbing on this cool ladder.

Mommy and Daddy took turns spending time with Adley in the upstairs Tot Spot, an area designed for kids under 3 years old. This section was perfect for Adley! She loved crawling around up here, playing with various balls, wheels, and other fun toys.

Midway through our morning, we all gathered in the parking garage to eat a picnic lunch. The Children's Museum doesn't allow you to bring in food, and it was too chilly to eat on the ground, so the kids gathered in the back of Andrew and Sarah's van for lunch. Fun memories. :)

Ice Skating

This event could accurately be described as "the best of times and the worst of times." Going ice skating was one of Jaden and Cody's first picks when we gave them a list of options for what they wanted to do over Christmas break. However, when we actually got to the chilly rink, put on the clunky ice skates, and slid clumsily across the ice (even with a walker) for the very first time, Cody and Jaden weren't quite sure ice skating was something they wanted to do anymore! After quite a few tears, a break on the sidelines, and multiple pep talks from adults, the boys finally decided go around the rink again. And then again. Believe it or not, the skating actually got easier. ;)

 

We never quite graduated away from using the walkers, nor were the boys thrilled about skating without an adult directly behind them. But, in the end, we did get some smiles! And, once we were ready for home, both boys left saying that they loved skating and wanted to return again sometime soon. The whole experience was definitely a lesson in patience (for kids and parents alike!) and perseverance-- two good traits to continue to build up!

Our sweet girl wasn't too thrilled about spending time in the cold ice rink at first either. During one of Adley's fussy moments, however, Papa walked Adley around and expertly rocked her to sleep-- just what she needed!

All of these outings added up to make for a very enjoyable Christmas break!