You Can Find Us At The Tubes

One of the girls' new favorite places to go is The Tubes. It's inside a large church in a neighboring city and it's open to the public every day. It's like a McDonald's indoor play area on steroids. The structure is huge and it has lots of paths and other things to tire out little arms and legs. It's a guarantee good nap day when we go!

There's also a little play area for smaller tikes that Kyle likes to roam. 

Karis made a new friend the last time we went. I'm not sure how it came about. I think he just jumped right in and started running around with the girls. At first, Makena complained to me that "the boy keeps following me!" I tried to explain to her that he was a nice boy and a new friend but she didn't buy it. Karis on the other hand had lots of fun with him. It's unusual that she started playing with him because she usually has no interest in making new friends at playgrounds (plus she's in a "I don't like boys" phase). 

Karis is super outgoing and not shy around adults, but it's a different story when she's around her peers. I've been trying to figure out why. The only thing I can think of is that she was a late talker so it was hard for her in some ways to hang out with kids she didn't know. Most of the time they couldn't hear her when she talked to them because she spoke so softly. I'm wondering if she took that as a form of rejection. I'm trying to encourage her and teach her ways she can start playing with others but she doesn't seem comfortable being assertive and seems quite content playing by herself. I'm hoping she'll remember this positive experience at The Tubes and that it'll encourage her to make new friends the next time the opportunity arises. 

Today's Pics

Today's high is expected to be 72 degrees.  We packed a lunch and headed to the park.  Derek met us there and we played and ate together.  It was a great little break for Derek, and the kids always enjoy a surprise visit from him. 

Today's Pics

We spent a good amount of time at the playground today. It was such a nice day!

I usually keep Makena in the stroller while Karis plays. Today, I let her loose!

Karis climbing the rock wall with ease:

You Can Find Us On The Playground

It's been quiet on the blog for a little bit. My camera broke and you know I don't blog without photos! In addition, when we got back from Phoenix, three out of the four of us got sick. I was the "lucky" one who didn't get sick and got to take care of everyone else.

Everyone is finally back to normal except for Makena. Unfortunately, she's still fighting her cold.

I got a new camera the other day so let the blogging resume...

Here are some pictures of Karis at the park across the street. We've been spending more time there since Karis hasn't been playing much with her toys. By the end of the day, she's bored and has reached her TV time limit, so we head to the playground before dinner. I think she's outgrown most of her toys and we need to get some age-appropriate toys. But too me, that means bigger and louder toys... and we definitely don't need more toys around the house!

Here are a few pictures of a trip to the park with her cousins. Here she is watching them run ahead of her to the park.


Karis loves riding the rocking truck with Jessi.

Deciding whether they want chocolate or vanilla "ice cream."

Dad supervising ...

Showing off her strength!

Karis watched a little boy on this spinning disk. He got hurt and whimpered off. Karis took the opportunity to get on it herself and take a spin.

Our little monkey.

She loves to climb and she can actually climb this ladder. It's quite impressive to watch as she figures out where to put her hands and feet to make her way up. It also makes me nervous and I keep a hand on her at all times!