You guys know I talk a big game about getting out and about with the kiddos on my own. And I really do walk the walk. I’ll go most anywhere with them by myself. Out to lunch, to the mall, to the playground, to gymnastics or music or whatever. But one notable exception, for the time being, is the aquarium.
We have a membership, which totally pays for itself by maybe the third visit, and the kids love it. But it’s not a short drive, parking is expensive, and it’s dark and frequently crowded. The kids want to be up and walking and checking things out, but of course have no interest in checking out the same thing at the same time. Maybe in another year I’ll try it as a solo outing, but for now, it’s generally saved for a special treat when we have visitors in town.
And visitors, indeed, we had! My cousin and her family were in town for some kind of conference. While she was in her workshops, I met her husband and their four kids at the aquarium. And it was one of our best outings yet.
Not only are they (my first-cousins-once-removed, if you want to be technical about it) really just nice people, they’re also the perfect ages. Ranging from about 8 to 14, they’re old enough to be quite self-sufficient, but young enough that my kids found them both fascinating and accessible. Rebecca, who can often be pretty reserved with new people, was holding hands and walking off with the oldest cousin within about two minutes. Daniel was fascinated with all of them and kept talking about them long after we left.
This made me happy on so very many levels. For one, my cousins were sweet and helpful and generally made my life a whole lot easier by happily tending to my kids. The older kids thought my toddlers were cute, and my kids loved the big-kid attention. I also was so happy to see how quickly my kids made friends with their (second) cousins, as I’d like to think it bodes well for the family reunion that’s coming up in less than two weeks. The number of people in attendance will be way more than four (think 65+), but it gives me hope that they’ll really have fun. And, of course, all of this just made me feel even more like I want to move back to Chicago. I would really love it if my kids were able to spend more time with my (huge) family and get to know them better. Having grown up with huge gatherings, I know how much fun it is and I would love for my kids to have that.
Our trip to Tahoe was a pseudo-family reunion and let me just tell you that my kids LOVED it. They loved all the attention they got from the variety of people, most of whom they had never met. They were on cloud 9 and had a great time with the older kids.
I am sure it will be the same for your kids in a couple of weeks. And the best part, it was like being (almost)free of kid responsibility for 5 days because there were so many people there who jumped in and helped out. Have a great trip!
.-= Erin´s last blog ..Yee Haw =-.
I also grew up in a large family and love getting together with them anytime I can, and I love that my Little One is growing up with her cousins. The only time I feel like I can completely relax on vacation is when we all go together b/c the older cousins love to play with Kate and I can actually read a book, which never happens when we don’t go with family. Being around family day to day is one of the BEST THINGS you can do for Rebecca and Daniel. I will be clapping loudly for you when you finally bite that bullet and do it!
I have a VERY large family (my mom has nine siblings and dad has five), many of whom live nearby. My parents have an annual picnic for my mom’s side, which was just a few weeks ago. Emilia still can’t stop talking about what she did and who she played with. She calls all the kids ‘cousin’ despite the fact they are all my cousins or the kids of my cousins. And she keeps asking when “Aunt Susie” (who is my aunt, not hers) is going to babysit. I’m sure you and your kids are going to have a great time!
.-= Tara´s last blog ..Summer Fun =-.