I couldn’t believe it when I got the invitation.  A birthday party at Pirates’ Cove.  Not just any birthday party, my cousin’s son’s birthday party.  My little cousin who was a junior groomsmen in my wedding, was now celebrating his son’s 4^th birthday.  Where has the time gone?  But, a party at Pirates’ Cove, I could hardly control my excitement.  I used to take my daughter there when she was in preschool.  We would go with our best friends Linda, Brittani, Joey and Jaimie.  I just loved that place.  It was so fun and the rides were so cute.  Just the right size and speed for our little ones.  The hand-propelled train, the carousel, the slides, and my favorite, the paddle boats.  Boats in a small pool area with water not much deeper than your ankles.  Oh the memories.

I was so excited to be going there again.  In my mind I had this picture of my daughter going on those rides again, this time with her little cousins.  My daughter, however, didn’t seem quite as excited as I was though.  And, when we got there, she begged me not to make her go on those rides.  I was disappointed.  But, she was right.  She exceeded the recommended age limit and quite noticeably, definitely exceeded the height limit.  Oh well.  As much as I try to, you can’t freeze time.

Anyway, that’s how we spent our Saturday this past weekend.  It was a great time.  Great to see our family, great to see the new little kids having so much fun on those cute rides, great to celebrate a birthday, and great to recall all those wonderful memories.

And, in case you are near the area, I thought I would tell you about Pirates’ Cove.  It is a great little park in Elk Grove Village, IL.  It is geared for kids ages 2 -9.  They have a concession stand where you can buy food, or you can bring your own picnic lunch.  They also have a stage area and a craft area.  The price is great too.  Adults are free and kids are $9.00 ($7.00 for residents).  And, now I know that you can also have birthday parties there.  You can check out their website by clicking on this link.   http://piratescove.elkgroveparks.org