She's growing up

Isla is getting to be such a big girl. Saturday night, Mike and I took her to one of those "Taste of ..." festivals in a nearby city. There were large interactive inflatables at the event. They had bounce houses, obstacle courses, and giant slides. Upon arriving at the event, seeing the size of the inflatables, and observing the children crowded around them, Mike and I felt pretty certain Isla would not be interested. She tends to be shy and is usually very nervous about new situations. Earlier this summer, Mike and I took Isla to a small carnival in a parking lot near our house, and Isla was terrified of most of the rides, having to be dragged onto the first few before she somewhat warmed up to them.

However, Isla insisted she wanted to try the inflatables. Even so, when she climbed onto the first one, a small obstacle course, Mike and I hovered nearby ready in case she came out crying or needed to be rescued. We worried for naught. She loved it. She climbed up the ladders and slid down the slides. She shrieked with glee and jumped up and down. We had to drag her off the thing. Next she tackled the bounce house, jumping around with a bunch of other kids, many of whom were bigger than her. Finally, she slid down a 33' slide, twice, by herself.

It's official. She has grown up. Now, if only I could convince her that it is not fun to pretend to "be the baby", especially when we are in the grocery store or at church...