Last day of Little Gym

This Saturday was our last Little Gym class. Starting next week Cameron and her BFF Holden will be taking swimming lessons together. I'm toying with the idea of bringing Cameron back to the Little Gym in the fall but it's pricey - about $20 a class. The MBA in me is impressed with the business model for that place. In comparison, it will cost me a total of $30 (including registration fee) for 8 weeks of swim lessons at the YMCA.

I really enjoyed our time at the Little Gym and was impressed with the equipment. Cameron loved all aspects of it and she definitely showed off for her daddy when he came to the last class with us. The Little Gym does a "graduation" at the end of each semester where families can come and see the progress the kids made. It gave me an opportunity to take some videos...something I haven't been doing a lot of. So enjoy!

Here Cameron shows off her skills at the balance beam.

She did great with a routine on the uneven parallel bars.

To cap it all off, they had a little medal ceremony. Cameron is napping with hers...it was a hit!

Charlotte Nature Museum

This was a very busy weekend for our family. On Saturday morning Cameron and I went to My Gym. I was extremely impressed with the facility and the activities that the kids could engage in. Cameron learned a ton about mobility from the other kids (unlike our Gymboree experience, Cameron was one of the youngest kids there) and she is already putting it to good use in her daily life (climbing on couches, tackling stairs better, etc.).

There are two major drawbacks to this program. First of all, it is $75 a month for an hour class. Ouch! Secondly, it is a hike to get there for me. Easily a 25 minute drive. It's doable but I don't know if I can handle it for more than a month or two, tops. We have another demo class at Little Gym in two weeks so I'll make my decision after that.

After Cameron's nap, DH and I packed Cameron in the car and headed to the Charlotte Nature Museum. Neither of us had been there before but I purchased a Groupon for buy one, get one admission free. And since Cameron is under 2, all three of us had a nice afternoon for $10. We were joined there by my friend Amanda, her husband (who has the same name as my husband which can be confusing) and their son Holden. Cameron and Holden had an absolute blast together. They giggled and held hands and were so much fun. I'm glad Cameron has a BFF outside of school!

The Nature Museum wasn't bad but smaller than I expected. There were some animals, a small butterfly enclave and a couple of interactive exhibits. The best part for us was the nature trail that ran around the property and abuts Freedom Park, the largest park in Charlotte. Cameron and Holden practically ran the entire path. There were a couple of falls (why is that toddlers refuse to watch where they are going?) but one kid would start laughing so the other responded in kind and we avoided tears. We spent about 2 hours at the Nature Museum and I think that's on the high end of what toddlers will tolerate. I'm not sure it's worth the $10 per adult ticket price but the Groupon coupon was perfect.

Holden is a ham and loves to say, "cheeeeeeesssseeeee" when you are taking his picture. Freaking adorable.

Taking a break on the nature trail and having a snack.