Winter is coming...

Has anybody ever read Game of Thrones?  I know it's being made into an HBO miniseries and has gotten a lot of buzz.  I'm halfway into it and it's just "meh" right now.  The main good guys in the book (the Starks), live in a place called Winterfell, where the threat of life-long winters is always imminent.  They always say "Winter is coming..." to emphasize that things are going to get pretty bad with the winter.  That's exactly what I've been saying to myself lately as the temperatures here in St. Louis drop to 55 degrees during the day and above freezing at night.  I am already starting to wish that fall would stay just a little while longer.  I'm not ready to endure a midwest winter yet.  And, most importantly, I'm not ready to keep Desmond inside all day.

Our backyard just as the leaves were starting to fall.

My office looking out into the backyard.

Drinking some goat's milk on a break from throwing leaves.

Frolicking in the park.

Luckily, there are a few odds in my favor: 1) our nanny is a huge outdoor person and takes Desmond outside, rain or shine, every single day she's with him.  She's been bundling him up and taking a blanket on the brisk days and we just bought him the cutest rain boots so that he could jump in puddles when it rains, and 2) we have several indoor fun options available for him in the city.

Trying on his new-to-him rain boots.  $5 at Kangaroo Kids.  And yes, mom, those are stains in the carpet and no, we didn't do them.  They were here when we moved in.  

I should start off by saying that I myself am not an outdoor person at all.  I hate being too cold or too hot, so you'll find me hanging out with Desmond outside in the spring or fall.  But you'll have to drag me out in the summer or winter (Desmond's restlessness is usually enough).  So, here's my plan for the winter months: There was a special for Gymboree memberships (2 months for the price of 1), and more than anything, it's a chance for me to be around mothers of children who are the same age as Desmond and for Desmond to play on bigger, better playgroundish equipment.

There's also a great place called the Magic House for kids.  I went in on a year membership with a friend of mine, so we get to go whenever we want for $30 for an entire year (tickets are usually $8/person).

There's also the Union Station, which has a little play area in the mall.  Desmond loved riding the rides (except we didn't put any quarters in them, so they were stationary).

Unsure of what to expect. 

Getting the hang of it.

Getting into the groove.

So excited...

And then we told him we had to leave.  He threw a fit.  :(

I'm looking into ads on Craigslist to buy Desmond a little mini-tent we could put in our living room, but other than that, I'm running out of ideas for things to do with Desmond when it's too cold to play outside.  Are there any cool indoor things you do with your toddler?  I don't want to have to take him out of the house every single day this winter, so any ideas would surely be inspiring.