We had a pretty nice little Saturday yesterday when we took Mairead to a local indoor playground called Perpetual Motion (in Lowell). The best part was that our friends, Jaime, Joey, and Connor, came, too! Jack and Ben were too little for this trip, so they stayed home with Nana and Grampy and their new cousin, Lily.
The place is pretty cool. It is huge and has a side for little kids and one for big kids. The little kid side has a huge train play structure. Both Mairead and Connor spent a lot of time on that.
You could even drive the train! Mairead was running around making the motion of pulling a train whistle and yelling, "Choo, choo!" at the top of her little lungs.
The slide was her favorite part. She did that about a hundred times. There were no steps for this slide, only metal rungs. I mostly lifted her to the top, but a few times, she climbed up the rungs. I was impressed- I didn't know she could do that!
The train included a 'car' that was a ball pit. Some of the balls managed to escape, but not to worry- Mairead climbed under the train to retrieve them.
She was really good about playing with other kids and sharing in the sandbox.
Connor found this cool table for blocks. There was an opening in the center so that extra blocks could be stored there. Or, so that Connor could get IN the opening and hang out.
Connor had a lot of fun with his Mom on this little ride.
More fun in the sandbox. She stayed in there for quite a long time, actually. I guess we know where she will be spending some time this summer.
Connor liked the swings the best. Especially because he could sit in the swing AND use his mom's i-phone to watch Thomas. He knows how to scroll through the apps and find Thomas-- pretty amazing!
Mairead and Connor were mostly running in different directions, but it was fun for them to see each other for a bit, and the parents could hang out and talk, too.
After the kids were tired out, we dropped them off at their respective grandparents' houses so that the grown-ups could get some lunch. It was a really fun day! Thanks to all of the grandparents for babysitting, and thanks to the Estees for making the drive all the way up to visit us! We miss seeing you guys all the time!
In other news, Jack is crawling the 'right' way! I am so happy to see that he now has the strength and coordination to do it! He is pulling up to stand more and more now (getting down is still a problem), and Ben is cruising around like crazy! He thinks he can walk and seems to get disappointed when he realizes he can't. They are both improving their fine and gross motor skills and they haven't even started physical therapy yet! I think the PT will be pleasantly surprised when she sees them on Friday.
We have been working with Mairead to encourage her to use more full sentences and to verbalize more of what she wants. She can be stubborn sometimes (wonder where she gets that?) and sometimes will not answer you even though she knows the answer. She is not an 'on demand' child, that is for sure.
The boys seem to be feeling better despite their very runny noses. Hopefully everyone will be happy and healthy soon!
