Kids Town

On one of the super-hot days last week (well actually, they were ALL super-hot) Gavin said he wanted to do something inside. I really couldn't argue, so I took him to Kids Town. He has always loved it there!

I told him this is the last summer for the Cozy Coupes! He still fits, but next year I am sure he won't:

Gavin is feeling better and is almost over his cold. Today is his last day of summer school, and then we have a little break before the regular year starts.

DuPage Children's Museum

Last week we met up with my friend Carol and her son Johnathon at DuPage Children's Museum. We had only been there once before, last September for the Edward Hospital NICU reunion. (Click here to read that post.) Both Evie and Gavin got sick from all the germs there, so I had decided we wouldn't go back for awhile.

Gavin and Johnathon (age 6) play really well together, and Carol had 4 free passes, so we went. Both boys had a great time! There is so much to do and it's "eductional fun."

This section is actually really dimly lit, and the sticks glow:




Making a town:




The music room:





The wind area was a big hit. This is the wind tunnel:

These tubes have air blowing through them, and kids can make them into any shape:

Playing with air hoses:

The water area was a bit hit, too. This time Gavin wore the recommended vest and only his sleeves got soaked:

Fun with bubbles:

Johnathon made a tall bubble around himself and Gavin:

Gavin was truly fascinated by watching Johnathon make bubbles. He made one go over his head and then repeated it with Gavin:

One word: JOY!

This was a tunnel full of mirrors:




We all had a great time. Unfortunately, Gavin picked up a cold/cough bug there (geez, it's the middle of summer!) so we are done with that place. Maybe we'll go back when Gavin is in elementary school!

Soccer

I felt that Gavin was ready for soccer, so I signed him up for a class on Friday mornings. It's through Just for Kicks in Plainfield. They have indoor and outdoor soccer fields, and soccer is all they do. They actually have classes for kids as young as 18 months! I really can't imagine what that would be like, because the 2.5 year olds have their class at the same time as Gavin's and they need a LOT of help.


Anyway, Gavin really loves his class and his uniform. He wants to wear it all day on class days. And I have to admit, I think he looks really cute and grown up in it. :)




Below are some pictures from Friday's class. It was indoors that day - you may remember we had a deluge of rain that morning! Gavin has number 7 on his back (although so do two of the other boys. I think the number are just for show.)




A lot of the shots are a little blurry, partly because of the lighting and partly because the kids were in constant motion:

The kids take lots of water breaks:

Playing "Sharks and Minnows." Gavin was a shark along with the coach:

The coaches have a lot of creative games for the kids. Below, they had to kick balls into two small nets, and then into the big net. But the coach called it "Hungry Hippos," and told the kids they were going to feed the baby hippos and then the mommy hippo.

Gavin has a great time, and Francis and I are happy with what we have seen so far. There are no games at this level, just classes that teach skills in a fun way. We'll see if we can get some outside pictures soon!

Dragonfly Landing

Lisle, the town just east of us, installed a splash pad and playground earlier this summer. It's called Dragonfly Landing and it's free! We made it over there last week with our buddies Lindsey, Maya, and Brandon.

Time for a snack break! Brandon showed Gavin the right way to eat a Lightning MacQueen cinnamon graham cracker:

As you can see, all the kids had a great time. One of Gavin's favorite things was the ride to the park - in our friends' van! They have an extra car seat, so they picked us up. Gavin has never ridden in anyone's car so he was pretty excited. We will definitely be going back!

Playdate with Gabe

Last week we had a playdate with my good friend Kim and her son Gabe. First the boys chased each other around the house.




Then they played on the swingset:

You can't see it in this picture, but Gabe has a big boy bed with Lightning McQueen sheets, which Gavin LOVED! They played with trains and transformers:







Then they played Star Wars - Clone Wars on the Wii. Well, Gavin didn't actually play. He has played with our Wii controllers a million times (not playing a game - he just likes to pretend the controllers are phones) but when he got a chance to play a game and use the controllers for real, he didn't want to. He held this toy walkie-talkie and pretended IT was a Wii controller. Who can understand the mind of a three-year-old?




Kim played Gavin's part in the game while Gavin jumped up and down:



Gabe was really good at this game!




Gabe's sister Kathy and her friend Katie were there as well, playing Truth or Dare and checking up on the boys every once and awhile. Gavin had a great time and we hope to get together again soon at our house!

Playdate With Our Cousins

Last Friday we went to Cedarburg, WI to visit our cousins Susan, Sean, and Erin. Gavin had a great time riding Erin's tricycle around the house. Surprisingly, this was the first time he has successfully used pedals! (He always just scoots with his feet.) He was determined to ride that trike.




Gavin put on ALL of the Mardi Gras beads, and wore them for about an hour:




Dancing in the kitchen:








Hmm, what's for lunch?




On the neighbors' swingset:




Gavin had so much fun playing with Erin. Unfortunately, Sean was feeling a bit under the weather so we didn't play with him very much. Hope you are better by the time you read this, Sean!

Gavin had woken up at 5:30 that morning (that means so did I - grr!) so he was exhausted when we left:

No nap for me! I think I will catch up on sleep in 10 years or so!

Birthday Party

On Saturday we attended the birthday party of our triplet friends, Lindsey, Maya, and Brandon. They turned five and had an awesome party at Naperville Gymnastic Center. Of course, anything that invloves running, jumping, and climbing is right up Gavin's alley.

There were gym staff members with our group the whole time, directing the kids and making sure no one got hurt or lost in the foam block pit. They had the kids sit in a line periodically to listen to directions. Below, Gavin (next to Maya) would rather just start running:



And...into the block pit!








Next the kids played games with the parachute:






Gavin and Brandon decided to make silly faces:









Bouncing on the trampoline:



He wasn't down for very long!

The gym had a big inflatable thing (like at Airtastic), and the staff helped the kids climb up the big ramp:

Gavin loved every minute of it, and his friends had a great birthday!

Brookfield Zoo

Part 2 of our Fourth of July weekend involved going to Brookfield Zoo. This time we made a successful effort to see animals we had not seen on our previous trips.

It was a hot day, and wouldn't you know it - Gavin found another sprayer/mister thingy. It's the blue thing in the background of this photo, and it's next to where the elephants used to be. I don't know if Brookfield will get any more elephants; we love to see them, but it has become politically incorrect to have them in zoos. One time (I think it was two summers ago) we even saw protesters by the zoo gate.




Gavin was fascinated by the rhinos and then by the ostrich, of all things. He kept asking if it could fly.

Gavin by the wolf exhibit.

Here is my tired boy! I carried him from the bears back to the gate. After the Arboretum the day before, then waking up at 5:30 am, then running around the zoo, he was exhausted!