Team Moran: Fun around town

We have had so much fun the last week or so. Now that Matthew is a walking boy we have been able to do so much more. It's so fun to get out of the house because Matthew is so curious about how he can interact with his world, and is so excited to learn new things. I'm really glad we have been making the most of our time off this summer. It makes me so grateful everyday that Alex and I both have jobs that give us so much time off together to do fun things with Matthew.

Here is all the fun we have had this week, Matthew,

Last Saturday it was just you and me while daddy was at work. So I decided we would go to the zoo. We went once before back in March and you were for the most part, only mildly impressed. This time was so different. You walked around on your own in the petting zoo and had a great time chasing after the goats and petting them. Then we rode a train for the first time. You waited so patiently for our turn, and once we were on your eyes were so full of life. You looked all around, very calmly, and really took it all in. Then we were hot so you played in the fountains. This was a perfect thing for a hot day and you loved it. Last time we were here you were afraid of sudden changes to the fountains, but this time you couldn't get enough. One little bully boy pushed you over for no reason, and you just took it in stride. We had some lunch I sneaked in with me, and then we were off to see the giraffes, zebras, penguins, primates and monkeys, and kangaroos. We went back on the train one more time, and then one more round of the fountains. You loved it!

Then on Tuesday we met up with a friend of mine from high school who I had not seen in almost 5 years! She has two kids now, a girl, and a boy close to your age. We went to the aquarium, which you are an old pro at. But this was the first time you went as a walker, and again, knew you had what it took to take yourself anywhere you wanted! We just went a few weeks ago, but you seemed to be so much more curious and lively. You pointed to the stingrays, sharks, and turtles, you LOVE the ducks and other birds, tried to touch the large redfish that swim by right at hand height, and became Mad Matt when it was time to leave. You wanted to do the touch tank, and didn't even mind the ice cold water as you touched a starfish and sea anemone. After we had lunch, again sneaked in, we played in the splash pad. Again, you loved the fountains. You had another run-in with a kid, this one not a bully, but was running and clobbered you, tackling you like a pancake to the ground. This upset you, but only for a minute.

We fed our backyard ducks. You definitely know what birds are, and you like ducks. I threw bread, while you held your piece not sure if you wanted to part with it. When you were finally ready to try, you liked it, but I was out of bread. You pretested this, so I got 2 more slices of bread, which you were very excited to throw. The ducks liked you, even though two of the three were full and walked away on their own! They remembered you though because the next morning at breakfast they were waiting for us!

Daddy decided he wanted to go to the beach on his day off this week so we packed a picnic lunch and some toys and were off to Clearwater. We decided to park at a different location than we normally do because we wanted to try the shaded playgrounds at the beach. You had so much fun climbing and sliding and going through tunnels. You played in the sand, watched daddy and I play paddleball while you held your own paddle. We swam and you had fun jumping over the waves. You had a yummy lunch, complete with your favorite food; WATERMELON! We played a little bit more on the playground and then daddy bought an ice cream cone, which of course you were happy to help him with.

Today we went to Chick-Fil-A for lunch. They have a play place and I was curious to see if you would be big enough to enjoy any part of it. The kids in it were pretty big and sure move fast, but I found a few safe places for you to hang out in. You climbed up and down a few times, and some sweet girls were ready to help you all the way to the top. But I kept you pretty close to me and the ground. You did try to climb up the slide backwards, like the big boys. You were so cute. Then we had lunch, you first fast food meal. You ate all your fruit first, then the chicken nuggets. You were so excited to eat big kid food, and when you spotted a balloon on the ceiling, you politely said "please" and pointed so I got a balloon for you to play with.

After a good nap following Chick-Fil-A, we went to the YMCA splash park. Our teacher friends met there last week for Ella's birthday and we found out it is free on Wednesday and Friday evenings. So I called the Duffs and Granna and we all met there after dinner tonight. You loved splashing in the shallow water, like last week, but this time you were so much more brave! You pointed and wanted to climb on the playground, with water shooting all over the place. You climbed the stairs, pulled on levers and such, and even went down the slide. Daddy was too chicken to let you slide last week but this time he wasn't here. The first few times I went with you and somehow squeezed myself into the child-sized slide. Once you knew it was fun and not something to be afraid of you wanted more and more. I sent you down on your own, lying on your back, and Granna caught you at the bottom. We did this 6 or more times probably. You knew it was a big boy thing to do, and you were so proud of yourself!