TreeTop Junior Adventure: Go Ape

A little over a week ago I had the chance to get outdoors with both the kids and go on a treetop adventure. Last year I had a similar opportunity which you can read about here. Along with the adult adventure, Go Ape has added a course for the kids called TreeTop Junior. It is for kids under the age of 10 and at least 39" tall. Which meant my two were really the perfect age/height to try it out.

You may be thinking because it is a junior course, that it will be way easier than the adult one. You would be partially correct. The course is not as high as the adult course but the obstacles are just as tricky. And as one of my children pointed out, wobbly. My son is 7 and he wasn't nervous but my daughter at 5 did have some nerves.

We started the adventure by listening to our guides talk about safety and harnessing us up. All the guides were great at talking at a pace kids could easily understand and were very encouraging. As we went about the course, they made sure we all felt secure in our gear and offered to tighten if we did not.

We were joined by Sarah and her son from 2 Paws Designs. After harnessing up were were able to go through a training course in order to get a feel for how to hook up to each line and stay the course.

After going through the training course you then get to try the real course. It starts out simple enough but gets progressively harder as you move along. There were boards that swung this way and that and really made you think about your fear of heights...or maybe that was just me? My 5 year old made it to the obstacle just before you get to the end, where the zipline is and froze. But with encouragement from myself and our friends and staff, she made it

Because of her height, I was not able to get her first zipline but was able to get one of Spencer's trips down. He really got the hang of the course and was able to go through a section several times and zipline several times.

At the end all the children were rewarded with a certificate for their efforts. I was impressed by all the children for being such great sports and braving heights and heat.

 

Go Ape is located in North Raleigh in Blue Jay Point County Park at 3200 Pleasant Union Church Road, Raleigh NC 27614. 

Visit GoApe.com to view available dates/times and sign up or call (800) 971-8271

Bloggers in the Wild

Disclaimer: I was given free admittance into Go Ape for the purposes of this review, but all words, thoughts and opinions are my own.

TreeTop Junior Adventure: Go Ape

A little over a week ago I had the chance to get outdoors with both the kids and go on a treetop adventure. Last year I had a similar opportunity which you can read about here. Along with the adult adventure, Go Ape has added a course for the kids called TreeTop Junior. It is for kids under the age of 10 and at least 39" tall. Which meant my two were really the perfect age/height to try it out.

You may be thinking because it is a junior course, that it will be way easier than the adult one. You would be partially correct. The course is not as high as the adult course but the obstacles are just as tricky. And as one of my children pointed out, wobbly. My son is 7 and he wasn't nervous but my daughter at 5 did have some nerves.

We started the adventure by listening to our guides talk about safety and harnessing us up. All the guides were great at talking at a pace kids could easily understand and were very encouraging. As we went about the course, they made sure we all felt secure in our gear and offered to tighten if we did not.

We were joined by Sarah and her son from 2 Paws Designs. After harnessing up were were able to go through a training course in order to get a feel for how to hook up to each line and stay the course.

After going through the training course you then get to try the real course. It starts out simple enough but gets progressively harder as you move along. There were boards that swung this way and that and really made you think about your fear of heights...or maybe that was just me? My 5 year old made it to the obstacle just before you get to the end, where the zipline is and froze. But with encouragement from myself and our friends and staff, she made it.

Because of her height, I was not able to get her first zipline but was able to get one of Spencer's trips down. He really got the hang of the course and was able to go through a section several times and zipline several times.

At the end all the children were rewarded with a certificate for their efforts. I was impressed by all the children for being such great sports and braving heights and heat.

 

Go Ape is located in North Raleigh in Blue Jay Point County Park at 3200 Pleasant Union Church Road, Raleigh NC 27614. 

Visit GoApe.com to view available dates/times and sign up or call (800) 971-8271

Disclaimer: I was given free admittance into Go Ape for the purposes of this review, but all words, thoughts and opinions are my own.

What Blog?

Life, while not extremely busy has kept me from blogging...mostly because by the time I can blog? I don't want to sit in front of the computer and do it. And I've put apps on my phone and swear that each week will be different. And yet here I am with 7 months passing since my last post.  A lot has happened in 7 months...let's catch up:

Spencer finished Kindergarten and we were so excited for him and I will use any excuse for balloons and candy:

We finally finished our back patio, which was a lesson in patience with both the contractor and Pier One. 

We took a trip to Boston and got our history on.

And then it was time for Spencer to start first grade!

Summer's seem to go fast when you are in year round school and most of my days were spent with Miss T and Vader. She did attend bible school camp for a week and that was a nice break for both her and myself. And then she started her last year of preschool.

We took another trip to Walt Disney World and even though we had one sick child, we still managed to have a great time. Does anyone else come back from Disney needing another vacation? We do a lot but we also rest a lot and yet when we get home I feel like I need a week of sleep.

After our fall vacation, the end of the year comes fast. My birthday is a blur (41 this year!) and then suddenly we are pushed right past Halloween and Thanksgiving and straight on to Christmas. It's a mad dash to celebrate everything and make everything so meaningful and spend all the dollars. I read more than one article talking about saying no during the holiday rush and truly slowing down. I have to agree with that sentiment. You don't have to do ALL. THE. THINGS. 

This all brings us into the new year where the husband and I celebrated our 12th year of marriage...by leaving the country. First class to London! Of course I had to stop at Platform 9 3/4. Next time I want to take the Warner Brothers Movie Tour. I also managed to hit all the floors of Harrod's. They were having a big sale and so the place was a madhouse...but if you like having all of your designers in one place, this is it. You could buy a car in the store...or Uggs.

January was not complete without a family trip as well...it actually was a week before our anniversary and we did a Disney cruise. It was awesome and we are looking forward to possibly booking another one! 

We now have a 7 year old...and he is just such a great damn kid. Funny, smart and sensitive. He cares so much about people being happy and all I want is for him to be happy and do what makes him happy. Miss T will be 5 shortly and when I think about this I miss all the time that has already passed. I don't take nearly as many pictures as I can and that's because I really want to be in each moment with them. I find that to be a hard balance and yet I don't want to forget the things we do or places we've been.

So that is what has been happening in Mommy This and That land...hope all y'all that read here are well.

Where Does the Time Go?

This month our little man turned 6. There were moments where the time seemed to slow down and then it seems in the last year or so, it has sped right up. How can he be six? I remember bringing him home and just spending moments looking at him in wonderment. I was going through photos and video on the laptop and found some him at about 18 months. He still had that baby talk and baby face...and was so happy to stomp in a puddle of mud. He would stomp then squeal "again, again," and watching that video made my heart hurt. He will never be that little again, that innocent, that full of awe over the most simple of things.

As he gets bigger and older, I see a lot of myself in him. We both like to laugh, we both are stubborn and we both strive for perfection. It is quite awesome to see him do something and know I would do it the same way, with the same train of thought about it all. This may or may not be a good thing down the road.

He is still obsessed with all things Angry Birds. I thought it would get old but thankfully they keep pairing Angry Birds with things like Star Wars, race cars and now Transformers. These have all kept his attention focused with no time to like any super heroes. He may never get into super heroes and that's okay, there are so many other things for him to fanboy and geek out over...once we get past the Angry Bird stage.

Besides Angry Birds, he is quite a talented artist. He can sit all day and color, draw, cut and create. Both the husband and I are amazed at how he will remember something he has seen and then create it with accuracy. Art camp may be in his future!

He may be 6 but he is still my little man and will let us snuggle with him. He is sensitive and empathetic about his friends and their feelings. It is sweet to be 6 and I'm proud of our little man.

This Is Kindergarten

That's right, the time is here for our little man to enter the world of big kid school and start Kindergarten. I can not believe we are already at this milestone and am happy to report the first 9 weeks flew by and we didn't have any issues. It took him about a month to settle into the routine but once he got it, he got it.

His first day wasn't a full day and wasn't his full class but an assessment. But the second week they went full steam ahead. This kid is smart, curious and talkative. I really hope that he ends up loving school, like I did.

I wish I could say that him being gone from 9 to 4 means I get a ton of housework done...but the truth is I haven't. I've gone to the gym and thankfully the Husband was home to pick up my major slack in all things household. I need to make sure I get a routine going and plan the week out. There were several nights when we had no clue about dinner, throwing things together haphazardly and eating way to late. All. My. Fault.

And while big brother is at Kindergarten we are left with the bossy princess. She thinks with S gone, we are to entertain her and be at her every beck and call. The best is when she has to come along for errands...as she walks through the store of the day and laments about only wanting to return home. No joke. The only time she sings a different tune is if she is getting something. I've taken to trying to run errands when she is also in school. I look to the future and wonder what my days will be like when they are both in the same place together ALL DAY. 

12

Here is a look at the kids in the last 12 months. I am amazed at how T has morphed from an infant a toddler seemingly overnight. And Spencer is quite the little man. I sometimes picture them as teens and then adults and then I stop myself...because right here and right now? They are perfect and time is moving at just the right speed.

12

 

 

Happy New Year to all. May 2013 be all you want it to be and more!

Making A List

I went back and forth this year with having Spencer do an actual Christmas list to send to Santa. I thought it might be fun but then figured it would be more fun when he could write the list himself in his handwriting.

Imagine my surprise when he came home one day and told me they had made a list for Santa at school. I immediately asked what he put on his list and his response is the same response we have been getting for about 3 months now. Shakity Shake Bridge, Chameleon Crunch game and the wonderful Dog Poop game.

Let me tell you about this Dog Poop game. Spencer was being silly one day, as 3 almost 4 year olds can be and blurted out he was going to ask Santa for a dog poop game. I rolled my eyes and quickly told him no such game existed and Santa would not find it funny. He cackled and was certain that Santa surely would. I ignored his repeating of dog poop game and thought it was forgotten. Until lo and behold comes the commercial to end all commercials:



And boy was he thrilled. Beyond thrilled! The Dog Poop game existed and now he can ask Santa for it and mock me. Seriously folks, a game about picking up dog doo. It's just so wrong and now I can't help but laugh. And wonder if Santa really will bring him the dog poop game...

100 Piece Puzzle

Not the 100 piece puzzle

If you've met Spencer or had the opportunity to play with Spencer...he goes about 100 MPH from the time he wakes until we force him to bed. I say force because he hates bedtime with a passion and if it were up to him? I think he'd stay awake all night. One day I may just let him and see how many days he lasts with no bedtime. I have a feeling he would last way longer than I or Tim.

Last summer I bought him a Melissa & Dough 48 piece floor puzzle and was amazed at how quickly he was able to put it together all by himself. And how it gave us a few minutes of peace and quiet as he diligently looked at all the pieces and put the same puzzle together over and over. He was obsessed. I picked up a few more puzzles, floor and tabletop and he was over the moon. Most of the puzzles are for ages 3 and up, so of course this just confirmed he is a genius. I mean he was doing these puzzles at age 2.

Then he met his match...a 100 pieces puzzle with small pieces and colors that run into one another. A real dozy of a puzzle, one that has gotten me flummoxed on more than one occasion. He will pull this puzzle out and probably work on about a quarter of it before he asks for help...and let's you finish. What is truly amazing is that it no longer frustrates him that he can't complete the puzzle. He shrugs it off and anxiously awaits for us to pick up more 100 piece puzzles. (Hello, stocking stuffers!)

But the best part of this 100 piece puzzle? The way he has tied in the complexity of the puzzle with his frustration of other tasks. If we get in the car and the ride takes too long? "Oh man, this place is 100 piece puzzle far!" If he's playing and hasn't mastered something? "This is 100 piece puzzle hard!" And every time he mutters it? I laugh. I amazed by the way his little mind works and how he comes up with his reasoning. I hope he will always be this way!

Wordless/Wordful Wednesday - Summer Fun

Playing in the summer with a sprinkler...always fun.

Baby Steps

Today I did it. I sent in the registration form and money for Spencer to attend "preschool" twice a week for a few hours. I didn't think about it too much, just did it. I needed to do it last year and could not cut the strings from him just yet. I was pregnant and hormonal and just wasn't ready.

But now? Now I am ready. He is ready. He enjoys seeing other kids and trying to interact with them and I feel bad that he doesn't see many kids. Especially his own age, This will be good for him and good for me. I can run errands and make appointments and only deal with one child.

I know I will cry the first day I drop him off and he will probably not even look back at me in his excitement. At least he won't see the tears in my eyes. He's my special baby and it is so surreal to see him growing up right before my eyes. Becoming this big kid.

I remember when we brought him home from the hospital and I sat there in the back seat looking at him in his car seat. He looked so tiny and helpless. Now I look at him and wonder where my baby has gone. How quickly the time flies...next thing I know he will be getting married and I will be dancing with him at his wedding. And the tears will really be flowing then.

But until then? Baby steps...I take baby steps because he may be growing but I'm not totally ready to let him go.