We've just complete our first full, not-much-unpacking, get to know our new town week. Dad had to work but mom doesn't start for another week, so she and I got some good quality bonding time. Highlands Ranch has 4 different, huge rec centers each with an indoor and outdoor pool, fitness center, tennis courts, park etc so on Monday, we checked out Eastridge. Mom got in a work out and then we went swimming in the indoor pool with the twisty water slide. It was even faster than the one at the La Paloma Resort in Tucson that I love so much. I even made mom go down it a few times.
On Tuesday, it was another rainy, cloudy, wet, cold, miserable day and we just couldn't get our act in gear to do anything but complain. It wasn't a pretty day but thankfully the next day, Wednesday, was my birthday! I woke up to find a whole bunch of really cool birthday presents but I think my favorite is the cat. It is a pretend cat that does nothing but sleep and purr all day. My camping friend Madeline has one and I coveted hers ever since I played with it. I even named mine Abbey, just like she did. Mom and dad think it is about the perfect pet. You don't have to feed it or clean up after it and it keeps me very entertained.
This is dad and me on my birthday morning.
After dad left for work, mom and I hit the Southridge Rec Center and used their indoor pool which has a big "swim channel", basically a lazy river and a huge climber/jungle gym IN THE POOL! It was so cool and I had a great time and wore myself out!
Dad managed to get out of work a little early so we could go out for my birthday dinner. I picked LoDo's which is a local bar/brewery. Mom and dad were a little worried that I picked a bar to go to for my 5th birthday but in my defense, it is the only place I know and they have really cool place mats for kids to color. That's all I really need!
(Sorry, these pictures are a little out of order) After dinner, we went for a little drive to see what was happening around us and found a whole herd of buffalo. Buffalo are very special to the Walker family every since Mr. Walker ran over one in the family's '69 Oldsmobile. It was at night and the buffalo should not have been there- he ran out in front of the car. Killed the buffalo but the Olds was still drivable. That was a good car! We came home and had some delicious chocolate cake and ice cream, I talked to a few admirers and then headed off to bed. All in all, a great start to being 5!
Thursday was pretty quiet. Mom and I went to park near our house and played for awhile. It was still a little cold and windy, so mom kept it short.
Friday was a good day all around. Mom and I went for a long hike in the Backcountry Wilderness that is part of our community association. Highlands Ranch owns 8600 acres of land that is a 5 minute walk from our house. They have several miles of trails for hiking and mountain biking. We were out and about for about 2 1/2 hours and took in some amazing views. I wanted to keep going but we had to get back for my doctor's appointment.
Friday afternoon, mom signed me up for a "Kitchen Experiments" class at the rec center. I had a great time there learning about yeast (we made pizza), baking soda (we made volcanos) and sugar (we made 2 different kinds of taffy). Mom needs to look for more classes for me- it was 2 hours of down time for her. Always a good thing!
Saturday, we decided to try out the light rail system and headed downtown to the museum of natural history. Everything was going well until we had to get off the light rail and jump on the city bus to finish our trip. Public transportation is always interesting and this was no exception. Most everyone was very nice, some were more than a little odd and a few were quiet smelly. And the trip took twice as long as if we had just driven down. So our lesson for the day was: Light rail good, city bus-eh- not the best.
Our Sunday was pretty quiet as well. We badly needed to cut the grass, so dad went out and bought a push mower (he is blaming mom for this idea but he's the one who actually did the buying) and mowed our grass. It was kind of a nightmare because the grass was so long. Dad ended up with blisters and aggravating his hernia. We figured the neighbors were peaking out their windows laughing at the desert rats trying to deal with real grass. But it turns out they weren't because they all have push mowers too. The neighbors claim it isn't to bad to mow when the grass isn't so thick. We'll see!
Mom and I decided to abandon ship while this was going on and walked to another huge park near our house. Tons of kids and really fun play equipment to keep me occupied.
Monday was quiet as well- just finishing up some "getting settled" errands. I did meet the little boy that lives behind us. He is six and we spent some time chatting and climbing the fence together. I really liked him and I hope I see him tomorrow.
I go to day camp for the first time tomorrow. This will be my first school adventure away from Casita Jose. We had to buy me a new lunch box and I helped mom pack my lunch. It's huge- turkey sandwich, carrots, peppers, wheat thins, squeezy yogurt, goldfish, cherries and a cookie. Mom is wondering how much will come home. Should be a very fun day!
See you in a week!
No comments:
Post a Comment