Rec Center FUN

Today we went to Campbell Green Rec Center. Twice a week there is a "Mommy and Me" time where the kids can play with lots of fun stuff. They can shake musical instruments, crawl on mats, jump in the bounce house, play with hula hoops, play basketball, roll around on scooters, etc. They basically dump a bunch of cool fun stuff in a gymnasium, turn on a bounce house, and let 'em loose! Pure definition of "organized chaos" here. There's no structure, but you get what you pay for - it's $1 per child admission. And it's just one mile from the house. We'll get to come back for the rest of May before they close for the summer.

We started off in the mat area so the babies could get acclimated. Knowing how much Levi likes hula hoops, I brought a couple over for Cam. I thought she might like the pink and green combination for the photo op. She had a blast with them!

This girl can't get any closer to crawling without actually crawling. She really fooled me a couple of times. I think she's mastered the reaching-out-as-far-as-she-can-without moving-her-entire-body-forward thing! In any event, it was quite entertaining!

After awhile I placed the babies on top of this super cool rainbow climbing mat thing. They loved the feeling of being up there! It was fun trying to get them to pose together. (See the "couples" photos near the end of this post). Cam was so proud of herself and enjoyed the view. She's got her "OMG I am SO excited" game face on!

Ok, so this girl has a future as a musician. At one point she found a wooden stick and started banging the stick onto the tambourine. She had the stick in one hand, and the tambourine in the other. I mean, what baby figures that out without any encouragement or initiation? I took a photo of it but it was out of focus. :( These photos do not nearly describe how much she loved to bang, shake, and play.

I tried taking the tambourine from her so I could get her attention to smile for the camera - but she had nothing of the sort. She cried and whined until I caved and returned it. Again...SO entertaining! I don't know who was entertained the most - the babies playing, or me watching them.

Towards the end of playtime I brought Cam over to the bounce house. The older children were acting crazy inside, so we had a bouncing-escapade on the outside edge. Remember how much fun she had on the playground swing the other day? Well this ranks right up there with it. I bounced her up and down, over and over and she could NOT stop laughing!

She's really amused when she makes funny noises after her real laugh (like ooo's and ehh's). I asked a Dad nearby to take a photo of me bouncing her. I just had to document her expression. My camera is incredible but it focused on me instead of Cam this time. Dang! We had an amazing time.

On another note, Cam is 8 months old today. Such a big girl!!

Earlier I wrote that we started at the mats so they could get acclimated. Well, Levi quickly discovered how much more fun it would be to just wander off. He can be pretty timid around new people, but when adventure and something new is in sight, he forgets all about his Mommy. I was preoccupied with playing with Cam that I didn't notice Levi crawling away at the speed of 90 MPH. Perhaps it was the sound of the older kids playing basketball - I guess he wanted to be a part of it. In any case this guy can MOVE!

After that crazy moment I brought him back to the mats, and figured he needed a distraction. I created this contraption on the scooter for some "dangerous" activity. Levi was not amused. :) He must be focused on the basketball players...

Since last week he has discovered how to shake and sway his head when he plays. It's the cutest thing ever. So when I put him on top of the rainbow climbing mat, he moved and wiggled it like crazy! The other moms got a kick out of it, too. More entertainment for all!

Another mom built a really neat climbing course. And what would a challenge like this be without Levi?! He is having NO fun crawling through this, right?! ;)

This place has tons of scooters just rolling around. Once again I turn around for two seconds and he's off creating mischief. I saw him grab onto the scooter, pull up to his feet, then roll it forward. If this child walks tomorrow I will not be surprised. What is with these two and their teasing?!

Here he is laughing at danger in the face. That's the outside of the bounce house if you can't tell. I believe he is reading that sign knowing that he would break ALL of those rules if he could! My next guess is that he wants to be just like the big boys jumping inside.

I saved these "couples shots" for last. I think they're the best photos ever! I have been trying for months to get a good shot of Cam and Levi together. Which one is your favorite?