Kids Cottages

I got up early on Sunday to run with Hilary and Misty, and Hilary mentioned that she had taken her kids to see these great kids cottages the day before. Local architects and builders had created elaborate children’s playhouses that would then be auctioned off for a local charity.
It sounded great, and since Brian and Gary were still working on the deck, I packed the kids in the car and headed down to Rosemary Beach. It took a while to get there, and I had to consult my iphone/gps a couple of times, but we finally made it.
There was an amazing treehouse with a zip line that Riley mostly monopolized, but she was pretty even about spending time in each house. Jackson, however was COMPLETELY enamored with the one shaped like a submarine being attacked by a squid. At first Riley was so excited about the next house that she skipped quickly from one to the next without giving each the attention I thought they deserved, and I had to keep calling Riley back. After the first loop around, I gave up, and just let the kids go wherever they wanted. It was an enclosed area, with only one exit. Riley ran back and forth between the zip line and any of the other houses, but Jackson mostly monopolized the “rocket” (er, submarine). The cottages were just amazing! The kids and I had a blast - well, aside from the five minutes of panic when I couldn’t figure out where Riley was. I kept walking up and down the row of cottages, looking from the house with the butterflies, to the house with the swing, to the one with the garden and back to the ones with the kitchen/pizza/icecream shop... couldn’t find her in any of the spots she usually hangs out. Imagine my surprise to find her playing in the top of the submarine!

Alright! That did it! We’ll buy THAT one! The submarine! Wait, a minute, it’s going for $28,000? Ah, well, we may just pass on that one...