Kids at home, Leaping Lizards

It was brutally hot, and Jack was asking about going somewhere. It was too late to make the hour-long drive to the zoo, too expensive (and we'd just gone) to go to the aquarium, too late to try to get it together for a beach trip. So we decided on Leaping Lizards, being that it was close, only mildly expensive, and oh yeah it had air conditioning.

Basically it's a big indoor play area, with bouncy castles and slides and other soft, inflatable exercise things and tunnels and mazes and stuff. And ball pits, for kids to fall about in -- a highlight for Katie.

Best thing about the whole thing was finding out what a great big brother Jack is. Because it's really more geared to his age, and Kate would get stuck in tunnels or confused and start to cry.

And I'd be outside the maze, and couldn't get in easily, and couldn't even see Kate sometimes. And then I'd hear Jack: "Here, Kate. Kate....come this way." And then she'd stop crying, and a minute or two later they'd both appear from one of the tunnel openings or slides. First Jack, then Kate, obediently following her big brother.

At one point her foot was stuck in a net in a big jumpy ball pit. She cried. Jack went back to help her get out.

There was a drinking fountain there; Jack could reach it, Kate couldn't. He got his drink, while she stood off to the side, on tippy toes, trying to watch. Then Jack would say, "Daddy, Kate needs help." And I'd go and lift her up, and she'd drink from the fountain.

Time to leave, they took turns hitting elevator buttons, and we headed back home.