Kid Concepts

Last Thursday (at least I think that's when it was... the days all seem to run together!), Jack and I headed over to Kid Concepts, USA for a playdate! They have a lot of fun stuff for kids there, including a McDonald's-style (except not really McD's style, because this one is way cooler!) play place, a toddler room with soft tumbling equipment and swings that hang from the very tall ceiling, soft blocks to build towers and forts, a playhouse, a rock-climbing wall, a stage to play dress-up, and a while lot more! The first thing that you see when you walk in the door is usually what traps Jack's attention, though, and it's killer trying to pull him away from it!

Jack Jack adores trains, and he loves train tracks, and he loves running trains on train tracks! He talks about this table all the time, and he had remembered it from the last time we had gone there, too. When we pulled into the parking lot he started talking about how he had played with his friend Pippi here, and that there was a fun train track table to play with!

The other thing he remembered was the swings. These swings are so much more fun than regular swings, because the ropes go all the way up to the ceiling. Also, the ceiling is much taller than any normal ceiling! Jack Jack spent a lot of time in this swing, begging me to "Make a really really BIG swing," meaning push him really really high!

Austin had a blast in the swings, too!


Then I taught Jack about twisting the swings, and he had so much fun spinning around and around! The ropes were so long that the twisting just kept going and going!

I was really proud of Jack when he decided to be brave and climb the 'play house' all by himself! Usually he's very careful about making sure that mommy or someone he knows is right behind him, but he didn't even flinch when he climbed up and saw that I was staying firmly on the ground. Of course, the second he turned a corner and I could no longer see him I had to keep reminding myself of how it was a good thing that he was being brave and that I was so proud of him, because it was so hard for me not to worry that he was going to get to a point where he'd be stuck and would get scared because he couldn't find me!

After what felt like an eternity, I finally saw Jack's face pop up in the window of the space shuttle! He looked a little worried, but as soon as he saw me, waving like crazy at him, a look of relief passed over his face and he said "Momma, I stuck! Come get me!"

I didn't even hesitate to haul my big fat pregnant self up there to show Jack which way to go, no matter how awkward it was with this belly in the way! My boy needed me! Of course, I was very relieved when Savannah, Serena and Sadie showed up and he had some friends that were young and small enough to go up there to play with him and guide him! He even went down the crazy pitch-black-can't-see-squat tunnel slide, which I'm told is extremely steep! And he asked to go again, two more times! My boy is getting brave :D

I felt really bad making Jack leave his friends to come home and take a nap, so I told him that he could play in the ball pit for 5 minutes before we had to go. He and Sadie ran in there and immediately began stuffing the balls in these little holes in the wall.

It was obvious that the balls were supposed to go in that hole, but I didn't know why until a few minutes passed and Jack looked up with excitement and anticipation, and suddenly...

All the balls came tumbling down! That was pretty cool. Why didn't they have anything like that when we were kids?