Yesterday the boys and I traveled a few hours west to meet up with Grandma and Pa and visit with our extended family at my grandmother's house. The boys were in good spirits for a change, so the visit went well. They spent hours playing with a set of magnets that have been there for years and years (still fun, though!). We had our requisite stop at "Donal's" just before, so that probably helped. We're nothing, if not predictable, and our boys have always been good eaters.
Connor skipped out on the return trip, opting to ride in "Pa's truck" and go home to the lake for a few days of one-on-one attention with Grandma and Pa. The moment we posed the question, he was quick with his response: "Bye, Mommy! See you later! Bye, Babies. See you later!" and out the door he went, literally. Nice to know you'll be missed, right? He clearly was excited about his adventure. Needless to say, we had a much quieter ride back home. No one was pointing out the many, many trucks we passed, the houses or barns, or even the cows and horses! One of these days the little guys will start speaking too. For now, Mommy enjoyed the peace and quiet of a long drive back.
And today we did something with two little people that would be just about impossible with three. We took the twins to the IHOP this morning, which is a rare treat for us. Josh and I are both big breakfast fans, but we rarely see that time of the morning out and about on a Sunday. We typically have to make our big breakfast ourselves (and then clean up the mess - yuck!). And taking two little people to a very crowded and busy restaurant was hard enough, believe me. Between trying to keep up with two pairs of slightly big Crocs shoes (that tend to fall off and be pulled off quite a bit), trying to keep utensils and hot items out of reach, and eating while simultaneously feeding a toddler. Well, it was challenging, to say the least. And the chocolate chip pancake we ordered for the little guys was not a hit - tasted like one big chocolate cookie but was very dry and didn't go with any of the "syrup" choices on the table. Luckily, my meal came with two small regular pancakes, which the boys devoured in minutes. Josh and I had better luck with our choices, so all in all, it went well.
One of these days we'll be brave enough to take all of our kids out to eat by ourselves (to somewhere other than McDonald's). Just not yet. There's too many hands to hold, too many things that still need to be kept out of reach and too many needs to be met for any of us to enjoy it. Life with three toddlers - usually fun, always interesting, never easy!
