Charlie may look just like his father, but today he showed yet another personality trait like mine! (Not that I want him to be like me…maybe just the good stuff.) We went to one of those bouncy funhouse places named Zamba Fun Land which is like Monkey Joe’s, but this place had other things to do like an arcade and cosmic putt-putt. I went with the Moms Club that I’m a member of and had a great time running around with them.

Charlie was quite terrified of all the different bouncy things, (I’m sure there is a better word for them, but I like saying bouncy things don’t know it.) (Okay, I looked it up. It’s an Inflatable Play Center, or IPC.) One of the bouncy things was themed after The Incredibles, with Mr. Incredible bursting from the top and looming over a big portion of the play area. I would think that would have been scary. But Charlie enjoyed yelling up at Mr. Incredible and waving to him every time we ran by.

Charlie’s favorite area was the back room where there was a cosmic miniature golf course. This place was serious – picture it: completely dark, black lights, disco ball spinning dots all around, cool firework lights bursting red and green on the ceiling, and a really neat putt-putt course. And it was completely silent, thus adding to the intensity. This room was magical. Again, I would think THAT would be much scarier than a bouncy thing for a toddler. Nope, not for Charlie! He was mesmerized, much like his mother who likes dark, mysterious places where things might be lurking around a corner to scare the bejesus out of you.

I believe his fear of the bouncy things comes from the lack of control you have when there are other kids jumping too. This will change as he gets older, but I think I’ll start a lot smaller to get him used to the idea of it.

We had lunch with a few other moms and kids after we left, and while the other moms ordered, I found myself alone with six children; four girls and two boys. Would you believe that they all sat there quietly and patiently? Okay, well four of them did. Can you guess which four? It was the girls, of course! Charlie and the other little boy enjoyed entertaining themselves by jumping in the booth, scooping ice out of cups, crawling under the table, knocking on the window, and dancing to the music. Although I stared longingly at the quiet, laid back, sweet little girls a couple of times, I could not imagine having anything but a rowdy and rough-and-tumble boy! I was meant for boys. I still want to have three of them. The only problem is that I can’t seem to come up with names I like for two more boys which drives me nuts.

Since we had such a great morning, I will (irrationally) hope that we will have a pleasant experience getting his hair cut this afternoon. I mean trimmed. Someone told me once that saying “cut” is such a negative word and that using something more positive might help. I think Charlie would rather get his immunization shots.

Playing Skee Ball

The REAL way to get the top score

Basketball with a friend

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