Edmund Takes Off
(His Landing Can Be Viewed Below)
My blog readings and the local magazine "Carolina Parent" have recently brought the Airport Observation Park at Raleigh-Durham International Airport to my attention. Our family's move to Durham has brought us much closer to RDU, so I figured we ought to take Edmund to check it out.
It was raining the day of our planned adventure, but by the afternoon the showers had slowed to a drizzle. Steven had some free time this particular afternoon so we decided to head to the airport despite the sprinkle. After a bunch of twists
and turns through the airport streets we arrived at RDU Observation Park. The rain had stopped and the sky started to clear. When we parked, Edmund started shouting "PS truck, PS truck." I looked around and informed him there were no UPS trucks around, but said we would keep our eyes peeled for one. Edmund was adamant that he saw a "PS truck" and started pointing frantically. Then it occurred to me he was pointing to a plane with a UPS logo. I said "oh I see it . You see a UPS plane." Edmund gave a relieved sigh, settled back into his seat, and calmly stated, "PS plane." He's been looking for UPS planes ever since, but it can be difficult to see a logo when the thing it is on is thousands of miles above your head.
After the UPS excitement we headed to the observation deck where several families were already gathered. Edmund enjoyed looking at the smaller planes parked below. Steven gave Edmund a lesson about control towers while we waited to see our first plane take off. Edmund was at the edge of his seat as he learned about air traffic controllers and the control tower and informed us "I go to control tower one day." Upon completing his mini lesson Edmund spotted a plane heading down the runway. He was fascinated as the plane sped up and lifted into the air. I can't speak for Steven, but I was also in awe of the aerodynamics I was witness to. It is one thing to take off in a plane, but quite another to see it take off up close. Edmund wanted more planes and so did I.
While we waited to see the next plane take off, Edmund was spouting his new knowledge of aviation. He was proudly informing us that a pilot is the person who drives a plane when we heard another plane coming down the runway. All three of us were full of anticipation for another take-off. Then we noticed the plane was slowing down. It turns out that planes take off and land on the same runway, which I suppose makes sense. After watching several planes, Edmund got fairly good at determining which planes were landing and which were taking off. In case you need a hint, the planes that are taking off speed up and those that are landing slow down. Have you got it?
A lull developed in all plane activity, so we took Edmund to the small playground a few feet from the observation deck. To get to the playground children can run on a miniature replica of a runway. I loved the mini runway, as I love all things miniature. I tried to encourage Edmund to run down the runway for take-off, to which he replied, "Mommy do it." I normally ignore Edmund or insist he try when he demands something of me, but this was good exercise. If I ran down the runway so would Edmund. Both of us had a blast pretending to be planes
. We made several attempts at take-off, but to no avail. Perhaps we'd have better luck on the playground. The playground is very simple and consists of a spider shaped climbing structure situated in sand. Edmund simply wanted a bucket to play with in the sand, which of course we didn't have. We made a u-turn and headed back to the observation deck hoping to see one more take-off.
Unfortunately it was close to dinnertime so we didn't have too much time. Although we did get to see one more landing we didn't have the opportunity to see any more take-offs. Our family had a wonderful time at the Observation Peck. It would have been fun to see a few more take-offs, but we still got our fill of planes for the day. Next time I think we'll try the Observation Park on a sunnier day and hope for a little more activity, but all in all this adventure was a success.
For directions go to http://www.rdu.com/whileatairport/obpark.htm. There isn't an address listed, but there is a map on the website.
This Friday until the end of the day today has been Tax Free Weekend here in NC. I got so incredibly excited about this event that I went window shopping early to get my plan of attack ready for Friday. I really don't know what it is that had me so excited about this event. I probably saved at most ten dollars, while the state of NC lost millions in tax revenue. Our family is also traveling to PA on Monday, a tax free clothing state, so again I really don't know what got me so revved up.
On Thursday I took Edmund with me to the mall to scout out the clothing options. Anyone who knows me knows that I get more excited about Edmund's clothes than I do my own. He gets to wear cute animals on his shirt and no one thinks twice. If I did so, I'm sure I'd get a few stares. So that I wouldn't feel guilty about taking him on this excursion I first took him to the mall playground. Edmund absolutely loves the mall playground. It's a lifesaver in the hundred degree weather we're having. Everything is soft and padded, so I worry little about him getting hurt, that is unless someone lets a big kid loose when they shouldn't. Edmund has his play routines. He turns the steering wheel in the helicopter, slides down the lighthouse a few times, and does a look-out on the sailboat. Most days I don't have to give warning that it's time to leave. He generally tells me he wants to put his shoes on after about 20 minutes and we're on our way.
After Edmund announced he was done with the playground I lured him into several stores with the promise of playing with trucks at the other end of the mall. Southpoint, the local mall near our house now has a toy store called Toyland. I know some parents think the location of Toyland is awful because they have to drag their children the entire length of the mall if they want to go from playground to toy store. I, however think this is pure genius because I can sandwich "mommy stores" in between two "Edmund places." Toyland is a small independent chain based out of New York that for whatever reason decided to expand to North Carolina. Toyland definitely isn't as big as some of the other "educational" toy stores in the area, but it has several pluses. It carries a lot of the wooden and educational toy brands I like and has very few electronic or licensed character toys. My philosophy at least for now is that toys should be open ended. I'm certain Edmund will be "wired" soon enough, so I'll let him use some creativity for now. I've bent a little on my no "characters" rule recently. Edmund loves Curious George, Thomas, and Elmo, and who can blame him. They're cute! He's not relying on tv for his play schemes and that's really the only issue I've ever had with characters anyway. I'll save the discussion of branding for another day.
Another plus this store has to offer is its openness. Five play stations are set up around the store and because the store isn't cluttered I can see Edmund at any play station from wherever I might be within the store. As I don't let Edmund wander I often can't browse, but I can do so here. Let me stop here. I realize this post is making me sound like a shopaholic. This is not the case. I'm a "browseaholic" if such a word exists, as I seldom buy. But I digress. The five play stations are right up Edmund's alley. The first is a table filled with rubber mulch, diggers, and bulldozers. The next station is a roadway system complete with a garage. This is followed by a train table. Next we come to a Calico Critters station. For those of you not familiar, Calico Critters are woodland creature families that live in elaborate houses. Edmund currently loves Calico Critters and their miniature furniture, but I'm sure it won't be long before society dictates to him they are a "girl's" toy. I'm having fun joining Edmund in his Calico Critters play for the time being. Finally there is a station with a large wooden fire station and rocket ship. Edmund is especially in awe of the rocket ship. He recently developed a love affair with the spaceship outside the Museum of Life and Science, and I don't have the heart to tell him the final space shuttle launch is quickly approaching. Edmund loves what he refers to as the "truck store". The only disadvantage I find with Toyland is my own personal guilt when we walk in, play, and leave. As I mentioned, I rarely buy. We probably won't go too often in order to appease my guilty conscience. However,on days when I'm stir crazy because Steven is on-call, I may just have to put those guilty feelings to rest and hop on over to Toyland.
Peek-A-Boo
After a semi-disastrous venture to Forest Hills Park last weekend, I didn't know what to expect from Piney Wood. Forest Hills gets rave reviews from parents in the area for its "sprayground." However, I'm still trying to figure out what bothered me most about this park. Was it the disrepair of the equipment, the litter covering every inch of the playground, the fact that Edmund has been to much nicer "spraygrounds" in other places, or simply that Edmund can mix sand and water at school any day of the week? I'm glad that Durham has such a playground, but I'm not sure I'm willing to make the drive when there seem to be better, closer options out there for our family. I'm willing to give Forest Hills another chance for perhaps we caught it on a bad day. There was a family reunion going on and we all know how those can get. So Edmund and I may make our way back, but I can guarantee Steven will be a no show.
Piney Wood was a blast. It's fairly close to our house which is a huge bonus for me. I'm finding I like nearby options on weekdays after work. As I mentioned before, the playground isn't immediately visible from the parking lot. Once I located the playground this turned out to be another selling point. Our go-to playground in Chapel Hill at the Community Center is located away from the parking lot, but not far enough I feel I can let my guard down for a second. This wasn't the case here. The playground is also shaded which will keep Edmund and me cool on hot days. Fortunately today wasn't a scorcher, but it's nice to know this is a place where we can attempt to beat the NC heat. I also love the fact that none of the play equipment has major drop-offs. Edmund seems to have some issues with depth perception and I worry about him at most other playgrounds. I hover, not because I want to, but because Edmund is very likely to walk off a tall ledge without a second thought. In most instances I take the philosophy "live and learn", but when it comes to 10 feet drops I err on the side of caution.
Edmund actually didn't play very long on the play equipment. He went up and down the steps a few times, turned the large maracas 
around, and did a couple rounds of sliding, when he saw "IT". A huge dog park full of...you guessed it...dogs! Edmund climbed up onto a wooden slab and pressed his nose against the fence. He summoned the dogs at the top of his lungs with a cry of "goggies." Don't ask me why it's "goggies" as he seems to pronounce other "G" word just fine. Edmund was a crazy ball of excitement until one dog answered his call and pressed its nose up to the fence. Edmund flailed his arms and ran to daddy who at this point had joined our park excursion. His words of wisdom..."don't call the "goggies" if you don't want them to visit." Very well put. Edmund eventually went back to the fence. He retained his excitement, but ceased the "goggy" calling. It's funny how his fears come and go, though I suppose a healthy fear of dogs can't hurt. Our child who today appeared horrified to be approached by a dog, yesterday marched up to our neighbors and informed them that he was going to pat their dog, Kiki, on the butt. It seems mommy and daddy need to start watching what they say.
The dogs eventually moved to the other end of the dog park and Edmund lost interest. He played on the playground a few more minutes, then informed us "I go home, drink milk." Thus ended our playtime at Piney Wood Park. This is one park we'll be sure to visit again. Who knows? Perhaps Edmund and I will hit the trails the next time. If you see a kid pushing his own stroller you'll know it's us.
Location:
5999 Woodlake Dr.
Durham, NC 27713
Elmo Loves Edmund
Steven and I also began house hunting around that time, so our time has been sucked up driving around neighborhoods and touring houses. Surprisingly, Edmund enjoys house hunting. He loves bathtubs and steps. If his current new saying "steps, steps, I love steps" is any indication, as long as the house we purchase has steps, he will be sold.
I hadn't felt there was anything too out of the ordinary on the Edmund front to blog about recently , but Edmund did something today that had Steven saying "if you blog about that, I'll give you the time." So here goes. I hope you find it blogworthy.
*Words in parentheses are Edmund to English translations.
If you know me well, you know I am directionally challenged. Give me directions that say go 1.2 miles and turn left and I'm set, but give me a map to the grocery store and I might just wind up in Nebraska. So it comes as a bit of a surprise that my 21 month old son knows where we are going before we even get there. Steven, Edmund, and I go to a local pizza place called Tomato Jake's every Friday night. About a month ago he started crying "pizza" whenever we passed the building. It's rather non-descript except for a small picture of a tomato on the side. We thought the fact Edmund could recognize the building was rather impressive, until recently. In the last few weeks Edmund now starts saying "pizza" when we reach the sign for the exit. This Friday night we decided to throw him off a bit and take a completely alternative route. Edmund wasn't fooled. His happy squeals of "pizza" could be heard before we turned onto the road for Tomato Jake's.
You're thinking to yourself, "maybe he just wants pizza." We too thought Edmund might think a car ride signaled pizza, but we've found that isn't so. Today we turned onto a street we use to get to The Community Center Park, Edmund's favorite playground. We've been a few times in the couple of months, but not a lot since the summer as it has been too cold. What do you know? Edmund inquisitively asked "geegound (playground)?," as we drove on. His inquisitiveness turned to whines when he realized that wasn't where we were headed. Don't worry, we don't deprive our child of outdoor time. He'd already visited the church playground earlier that day. Fortunately for him we had other child friendly plans. We pulled into University Mall, a place we visit maybe once every 2 months. Immediately Edmund asked "Thomees (Thomas)?." There is a great locally owned toy store in the mall that has a Thomas train table set up for children to play with. Somehow Edmund knew we were at one of Thomas the Tank Engine's hang-outs. When we got inside the mall, Steven set Edmund down. Edmund knew exactly how to get to the toy store. When Edmund finally located Thomas, squeals of excitement echoed throughout the store. There's nothing like a little "Thomees" to brighten a toddler's day.
Edmund Takes Off
and turns through the airport streets we arrived at RDU Observation Park. The rain had stopped and the sky started to clear. When we parked, Edmund started shouting "PS truck, PS truck." I looked around and informed him there were no UPS trucks around, but said we would keep our eyes peeled for one. Edmund was adamant that he saw a "PS truck" and started pointing frantically. Then it occurred to me he was pointing to a plane with a UPS logo. I said "oh I see it . You see a UPS plane." Edmund gave a relieved sigh, settled back into his seat, and calmly stated, "PS plane." He's been looking for UPS planes ever since, but it can be difficult to see a logo when the thing it is on is thousands of miles above your head.
. We made several attempts at take-off, but to no avail. Perhaps we'd have better luck on the playground. The playground is very simple and consists of a spider shaped climbing structure situated in sand. Edmund simply wanted a bucket to play with in the sand, which of course we didn't have. We made a u-turn and headed back to the observation deck hoping to see one more take-off.
