Day 469 -- The Treehouse

We took the kids to The Treehouse in Chelsea today because

a) we needed to get out of the house,

b) we had $30 extra bucks burning a hole in our pockets,

c) AJ is turning 2 tomorrow,

d) we heard it was awesome.

While we didn't know what to expect, we were absolutely thrilled with what we found.  The kids had a blast climbing, swinging, and sliding.  I got an iced caramel latte and sat in a big comfy chair.  There was wireless internet, so Colby got to keep an eye on the Tigers game.

I have many parts of the trip that I need to tell you about.
  • Colby was sitting in the baby area "watching" AJ, absent-mindedly rocking her on a baby teeter-totter (i.e. watching his Ipod for the latest Tiger news).  Except, he was actually rocking a complete stranger's child while AJ played in a totally different section.  Apparently, keeping an eye on the game makes you a little distracted, because Breslin managed to find someone else's table, eat their food, and drink their beverage before dad noticed Bres was gone. After this, Colby was watching the children's area under close scrutiny, even though all of the kids were with me. 

  • When AJ started to run out of gas, she found the massive bookshelf, which she called the library, and went back and forth getting books to read.  Her favorite spot to read them was the geographical center of a busy walkway. 

  • Breslin was a great big brother to AJ, helping her maneuver her way around obstacles to find her way to the slide.  Once he did this, she took the same route over and over again.  Dharia was great too, but in a different capacity.  Her role was to heave AJ's body up the tiered platforms that were just a bit too high for AJ to climb up onto.  She wasn't gentle, but AJ was appreciative.  It was cool to see both of the olders looking out for their little sister.

  • Breslin came up to me and said, "I just got called two things: Buddy...and Sweetheart."  I asked him who called him that, and he just shrugged and ran away.

  • AJ fell asleep within 2 minutes of being back in the van, and all of us were asleep, except for Colby, by the time we got home (he was listening to the Tiger game on the radio).
Thank God for The Treehouse!

Lord, thank you for our great day our as a family at a really cool new place.  Thank you for my kids and the way they make me laugh.  In your name I pray, Amen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 162 -- "Showing Us the Way"

Image
One of my favorite things about the spring is the baccalaureate celebration that takes place the week before graduation.  I love the chance to see my seniors in their caps and gowns and to praise God for their arrival to the finish line.  For every year since I can remember, I've listened to Western's Select Choir perform the song "Showing Us the Way" by Michael V. Ficocelli.  When I was a senior, I even got to sing it at my own baccalaureate.  That year, and every year since I have taught at Western, I get choked up listening to the perfectly fitting lyrics of this song.  Tonight, on a perfect evening at the Cascades Falls, tears ran down my face as I watched the seniors I taught sing the words of this song to their classmates, parents, teachers, and friends.  I smiled and cried a little more as I realized that someday there's a good chance I'll be watching my own kids sing it at their baccalaureate. I had to share it with you.  This isn't Western's
Read more

We Dance...and We Sing...When We Play the Drum!

Let it be known that my son gets his money's worth out of his toys. Or, in this case, someone else's money's worth. Whatever. You know what I mean. The toys that he likes, he really, really likes. He uses them a lot for a long time. This particular toy is a drum that was given to him by our friends, The Tappans, at his FIRST birthday party. Needless to say, tonight he was REALLY enjoying his gift.
Read more

Day 80 -- Calvin and Hobbes

Image
When I was in junior high and high school, I used to read the anthologies of several comic strips, including Garfield, Fox Trot, The Far Side, and Calvin and Hobbes.  I remember reading them by the light of my bedside lamp, trying to stifle my giggles so that my parents wouldn't come bust me for staying up too late reading (the horror!). Calvin and Hobbes, especially, resonated with my sense of humor.  I found the strip simultaneously witty, funny, thought-provoking and perceptive.  I collected all of the anthologies, but somewhere between then and now, I either lost them or gave them away.  I told my husband about my tendency to read them from cover to cover, and how I was sad that I no longer had them.  Not too surprisingly, for Christmas, I received The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book from Santa. I have been slowly working my way through the book, and tonight I was reminded of Calvin's finicky eating habits and of his gift for creating macabre snowman art.  I w
Read more