Aug 30: Children's Garden

We met some friends at the Denver Botanic Gardens on a hot day at the end of August. They have a children's garden that opened about a year ago, and we hadn't seen it yet.

We couldn't believe what we'd been missing. There was a sandy creek with rocks and logs and a pool at the top of a waterfall, enclosed in rocks. There was a huge sandbox, a "mountain" with a swinging bridge and a fire pit. And there were kid-sized gardens everywhere - lots of tundra flowers that grow low and sprawling so even toddlers have a good view.

The boys went straight for the water and stayed there until it was time to go, except when I made Jonah get out because he kept throwing sand at other kids. So he explored the tunnel for a while - a big one made of a hollow tree trunk.


After many attempts to sneak back into the water, I let Jonah back in, and he and Isaac played together in the pool at the top of the waterfall. They loved it.


As we left, the boys caught sight of the swinging bridge, so we went up the mountain to see what was there. Then we spent about 15 minutes stomp-running across the bridge, one by one, with lots of giggles, until I decided it was really time to go.

Aug 26: Tiny Town

We've been hearing about Tiny Town for a few years now, so we finally made plans to visit it with Rina and Bianca one Friday morning. The boys didn't know much about it, but for some reason, Jonah was so excited. Maybe it was because Bianca was going too. All morning, every time we finished something (changing a diaper, getting dressed, eating breakfast, getting shoes on...), Jonah said brightly: "Now can go to Tine Town!"

When we finally got there, it wasn't quite what I'd expected, but the kids loved it. It was just...a tiny town...that sprawled along a creek and up a hillside just up in the mountains from here. I'd thought the kids could go in the structures, but they turned out to be more like collectors' houses and too little even for toddlers, each donated by a different group and furnished inside. The kids loved looking in the windows.


There were a few small buildings the kids could go into, and then they had fun looking out of the windows.
















These three kids love playing together so much, it probably doesn't matter where we go. But no one was ready to leave Tiny Town. There's even a train with a diesel engine that takes you on a tour of the town. Every day since we went there, for the last two weeks or so, Jonah still announces (when we get in the car, when we put shoes on, etc.): "Time go to Tine Town! Meet Nee-a-nah!" (Bianca) And sometimes it continues to: "Ta-tai (Kelly) be there Too...Wo-wam (Roman) be there Too...Abo (Adler) be there Too!" I'm starting to wonder if we need to go there for his birthday.

Aug 13: First Horseback Ride with the Boys!

The Wheat Ridge rec centers have a 60-some page brochure of classes and activities, and buried in that long PDF file, I found a parent-tot horseback ride offered twice in the summer. It was a decent price for one hour, at a nearby stable in Arvada, and the parents would ride with the kids in front. The minimum age was one year. I was excited, and Adam said sure, sign us up, so I did.

I tried to bring my camera for this occasion, but it was going to be much too hard to hold Jonah on a horse while keeping my big SLR from bouncing around and hitting all 3 of us, so our only pictures are these fuzzy ones from Adam's cell phone. You can't see him, but Jonah is nestled in front of me in the picture above, holding on to the saddle horn.



Isaac rode with Adam and loved it.



The stable was at the edge of a populated area, with views of prairie and mountains to the west. We circled the ring for about 15 minutes so everyone could get used to their horses and make adjustments if needed. Jonah and I were on a mare named Ginger who did not like following the horse in front of her. Adam and I both appreciated that our horses were generally safe for the little ones but not push-button - we were actively riding, not just sitting there.

As we left the ring, there was one woman who had never been on a horse before, and she looked scared. She was clutching her toddler in front of her and pulling hard on the bit, which made her horse agitated and did nothing to slow him down. The stable owner yelled instructions at her, which only made her more flustered. I felt sorry for her but also very grateful that we knew how to ride - they never even asked us if we'd been on a horse before! It seems a little scary - and surprising, given what I remember of insurance requirements from when I rode regularly - that they would just put people on horses with their toddlers and turn them loose on an open space trail! The woman was soon turned around and led back to the ring to ride in its relative safety.
The rest of us happily signaled our horses to walk and turned our attention to the sweeping views of mountains, sky, and softly blowing prairie grasses as we filed past the farm buildings and onto a real trail - I couldn't believe we were all doing a real trail ride together. I could feel a permanent smile on my face as we ambled along next to a gentle creek, watching butterflies quiver above tall wildflowers and birds soar over our heads.

I was holding Jonah pretty comfortably in my right arm and holding the reins Western-style with my left hand for the first half of the ride, but then came the dreaded "Get off" from my passenger. And so began the hard work of entertaining, stepped up every time he tried to stand up in the saddle or swing his leg over. We sang songs, I recited "Good Night Moon" from memory, and when he quickly tired of those activities, we played "Can you find..." and spotted a butterfly, a bird, water and even a train rumbling down a track across the highway. This game got us back to the stable, when we once again had sheep and goats and horses to point out as we passed the pens.

It was work, but it was a joy too. I wanted to bury my face in my shirt and smell horse forever. Adam loved it too, and our little guys...I think they had fun, even Jonah and especially Isaac, but most of all, it was one more experience to add to their growing minds and sharp senses.

We finished the morning with lunch at a pub in Olde Town Arvada, on the cute, historic main strip in the nearby suburb. The boys tore through their food - broccoli, fries and, by mistake, fried mac and cheese! I had no idea the kids' mac and cheese came in little breaded triangles - yuck! - but the boys were starving after the morning ride, and they didn't mind. Lots of food, then we let Isaac play a few games of pinball before we went home for good long naps.

Aug 4: Bellevue Park - Creek and Train

What could be better than a slow, shallow creek full of kids, buckets, shovels and sand? Well, throw in a miniature train with bridges and a tunnel, plus a barnyard petting zoo, and you have Bellevue Park.

It's in Littleton, so it's about 30 minutes away, but it's worth the drive. We met our friends Priya, Ishan and Leela (not pictured - forgot my good camera!) there one hot August day, and the kids had the best time splashing in the water and digging in the sand.

We ate a picnic lunch by the creek and then bought train tickets. The engineers dress the part and are always kindly grandfatherly types, lifelong train lovers. Our engineer this day said he also volunteers at the train museum - another of our favorite outings!

The kids were excited. I told tunnel-obsessed Jonah that the train would go through a big tunnel at the end. He was waiting anxiously.


Isaac and Ishan shared the seat in front of Priya and me and the little ones, and they were adorable. They were talking and giggling together and getting along great, even though they hadn't seen each other in months.


Finally the train ride started. We chugged around the park, crossed the creek on little bridges, and finished with a trip through the dark tunnel.


There was no time to do the petting zoo on this trip, but it was a great morning.