Bouncin' 'Round The Room

After a week of beautiful weather and many trips to area parks, rain moved in and left us looking for something to do. Knowing a morning at home would invite three toddlers (and two adults) to bounce off the walls, we took the bouncing elsewhere and headed to Sport Bounce of Loudoun. At first I was a bit skeptical, but as soon as shoes were off the kids were running and the experience was GREAT! There was only inflatable off limits to little ones, but everything else was fair game. Even better? Adults could play for free, and I can’t tell you how much WE enjoyed ourselves. While we spent much of the time climbing the 20 foot ladder WITH the kids to come down the 20 foot slide WITH the kids, they enjoyed it just as much when they came down solo (although I got no pictures of that). The inflatables ranged from large and elaborate to small and perfect for the kiddos. The facility also had two toddler rooms with see-saws, tricycles, tunnels, and other toys which were a welcome break from bouncing (if only briefly). So yes, it required the kids’ play required our physical involvement, but can you really think of a better way to interact with your kids AND burn calories? I can’t. A fun-tastic time was had by all and we’ll definitely be returning.

Here are more pictures of our day at Sport Bounce and some of their inflatables:

Two-Park-Kind-Of-Day

While the forecast called for rain from Wednesday on, we actually were graced with a few really nice days. Knowing rain would eventually fall, we made Thursday a two-park-kind-of-day. We have our usual stomping grounds, but were looking for a change of scenery and with a little help from Google we found just what we were looking for.

In the morning, we went to the Branch Road Tot Lot in Vienna and met up with some dear friends. With a fenced in play area, we were able to play with little worry.

After nap, we ventured to Maryland and after donating more shoes to Souls for Soles, we stopped at Cabin John Park. The park spans a large area, so the kids were thrilled to run freely and stopped at nearly every piece of equipment. Some were small and appealing to toddlers, but our crazy kids bravely attempted - and LOVED - the steep, steep slides (ummmm yeah, the same ones that I am visibly fearful of).

 

Oh Blarney!

It was a wee bit of a green day in the Cunningham household - - -green with envy as John and his parents have been to kiss the Blarney Stone while we have not and green with paint as we created our own.

After painting their rocks, Hayden, Morgan, and Landon finger painted on their trays. It was interesting to see how the kids handled the task so differently from one another.

Hayden spread the paint as far and wise as she possible could,
leaving no spot on her tray unpainted.

Morgan only the sides of her tray (oh, and herself).

Landon simply made handprints,
like we’ve done in so many of our projects.

Our other projects this week have included:

Shamrock collages

Making our own pots of gold

Handprint four-leaf clovers

Kiss 'Em: They're (Part) Irish

While many Irish eyes won’t be smiling until the 17th of March, there was a lot of fun to be had this weekend. The city of Alexandria holds their annual St.Patrick’s Day parade in the first weekend of March, and fortunately we had the best weather our region has seen in months!

Donning our green, we – with the company of Grandpa Jack – took the kids to Old Town.

There, we saw many dogs readying for the “fun” dog show,

ate lunch at Pat Troy’s (one of our favorite St.Patty’s Day spots),

 

 

 ran and played along the waterfront,

watched several airplanes take off and land from the nearby airport,
and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the parade (epecially Morgan who danced to the music and asked for "more" when each band passed).

The day was one of the babies’ longest outings (we left home at 9:00am and got home around 3:30pm), but they did fantastic . . . and slept on the way home.

It is so empowering when we can enjoy the same things other families may take for granted – like a parade. There are so many logistics to consider when setting out for a day like this with one toddler, but add two more to the mix and the planning alone could be enough to send you over the edge. What (if any) strollers will we take that will fit on the narrow city sidewalks? What restaurant will have three high chairs AND an environment conducive to toddlers? Did we pack enough snacks, drinks, diapers, wipes, jackets, change of clothes, etc…? The list goes on and on, but we actually felt – dare I say it – normal this weekend. And above all, we LOVED being together.

And below are the rest of our day's pictures:

Like Morgan, Landon has excessive pronation of his feet causing many of the same problems as his sister experiences.

Here, you can see how his knees come together as his feet & knees turn inward.

And as I mentioned in Morgan’s post below this one, we waited for Landon to start walking, allowing ample time for his muscles to strengthen and develop. But it was time now to have him fitted for orthotics so while Landon napped in the car, we drove to Potomac, Maryland to see Ed at Shoe Train. (Seriously, if you're in the market for kids' shoes and/or orthotics, this is THE place to go.)

I have a fondness in my heart for this kind man. Not only does he know all there is to know about kids’ feet, shoes, and orthotics, but he has such a way with the kids. It’s not often that someone can near Landon – let alone manipulate his legs and feet – without evoking pure fear and loud shrieks. To my surprise, he not only let Ed do his job, but he laughed and talked about it the entire time.

Landon was on the fence - his needs in between two types of orthotics. In the end, though, he was put in Crickets with a toe piece, just like Morgan was.

It's clear just how much more aligned his little body is in these two pictures.

I'm so thankful that Ed has devoted so much of his life to providing a service like this to families.

These Shoes Were Made For Walking

Morgan has excessive pronation of her feet – both in her heels and the front of her foot. As a result, she has “knee knock” and deviation of her big toes on which she’s formed calluses. If you ask me, I STILL think she’s got the cutest little legs ever!

Here, you can see how her knees come together as her feet turn inward.

One year ago, both of our PTs were comfortable waiting to see how Morgan’s foot muscles would develop. So we waited, and she learned to walk. But still, she needs orthotics. While she could have been measured in the office and the orthotics ordered & delivered, it actually made more sense to take her straight to the source. So this morning, she and I set out to Maryland and met with Ed, the same gentleman who fitted my sister for orthotics more than 20 years ago. Without a doubt, he knows his stuff; all he “does” is orthotics, he has many years under his belt, and the kind sole (no pun intended) goes to shoe conferences. So I was at peace knowing Morgan would get exactly what she needed.

Morgan sat; he manipulated her legs and feet.

Morgan walked; he watched.

Morgan stopped; without hesitation he said “Crickets”.

So Morgan was fitted with three-piece orthotics called Crickets. The first two pieces fit together like a hand and glove, and will provide her feet and ankles with some much-needed support, and will in turn help correct the positioning of her knees. The third part is a toe-piece and it will properly position her toes.

Although Morgan was incredibly drawn to the sparkly shoes, we left with orthotics and a pair of shoes perfect for her needs AND took the opportunity to donate her “gently used” shoes to Soles for Souls who will in turn send our shoes to Haiti.

Can you see the difference in her legs?

I sure can, but it's most obvious when you see her walk now!

We had plans for the rest of our day, but got sidetracked. See, this venture took us to the neighborhood where I grew up. In some ways it looked the same, but development was obvious. The mall, for example, was still there but has had a face lift of sorts. The ice rink is still open, but now not far from a new strip mall, restaurants, and shops. My heart was happiest, though, to see C.J. Park. Yes, Morgan and I stopped at the park on the way home. I had to as I rarely make it to our neighboring county. I have so many fond memories of visiting the park with my dad and sister where we spent countless hours climbing, sliding, running, playing, riding the train, and frequenting the snack bar. Countless hours forgetting about life and instead enjoying each other’s company, loving, laughing, smiling, hugging. Sure, today the train was closed for the season, the equipment has clearly been updated, and snow covered the ground. But one thing remained the same . . .

Porky The Litter Eater! The most exciting garbage can I have even thrown my trash in to - seriously. At every visit to the park, my Dad would patiently allow us to take our garbage to Porky. When you put trash in his snout, a vacuum allows him to “inhale” the contents and he then thanks you with a kind message about keeping the park clean.

I look forward to all the memories John and I will create with the kids, and hopefully one will include a trip to my favorite C.J. Park. And maybe one day my dad will join us.

Here are a few more random shots from our morning out. Landon, it's your turn Friday.

I Know What You're Looking For . . .

You're probably looking for pictures from what should have been an INCREDIBLY fun playdate at JW Tumbles with four other triplet families. Well, you'll have to wait because our kids are dropping like flies. Morgan has been throwing up, Landon has the other kind of belly ache, and Hayden is crabby, tired, and clingy - - - she's just barely hanging on.