This morning, the boys and I left our house bright and early (at least for us) and headed to the next city over to visit with our newest play friends, John and James. We got there a little after 9:30 a.m. and might have been there sooner if Mommy hadn't been coveting a McDonald's breakfast for the first time in months (the boys and I very rarely make it out of the house in time for such things).
Connor was extremely excited, talking about going to "John's house" all morning. I made the mistake of mentioning our plans to him yesterday, so it's pretty much all he's talked about since. We made it through their breakfast at home, and then he started demanding "Where's John's house? Go this way?" from the minute we pulled out of the driveway. He did manage to forget where we were going a few times, when he saw lots of "Beep-Beep Trucks!" on the interstate (thanks again, Aunt Lynn, for teaching him that rite of passage!). But it always came back to "Where's John's house? Where is he?"
We eventually made it (apparently 20 minutes is like 20 years to a toddler in a car seat), and he was quite excited. The little guys were more curious than excited, which is pretty par for the course. They love to ride in Mommy's truck, so that part was good enough to get them moving this morning. And then we arrived at a new place and they got to get out and walk (no stroller, for a change) up to the door. They loved that.
John was even outside on the deck, waiting for our arrival to greet us. Connor was too excited for words (and his normal, slightly bashful self on first meeting people again). But we made it up the steps and into their home, where all of the wonderful new toys and sights made all of the boys smile. Everyone was excited now.
Connor, of course, had to be reminded to share. The fact that John was letting him play with HIS toys, and not the other way around, never seemed to sink in at all. The little guys are not much better about sharing, it seems like my boys think they deserve all of a certain toy at one time. If there's 10 wooden trains, each one of my boys thinks they need ALL of them to play with. Same goes with blocks, rings or just about anything else you can think of. We're still working on that, clearly.
But all in all, Connor and John played well together and seemed to have a good time. They also liked to test limits, and seemed to feed off of each other at times. Your Mommy told you to get down, so now I'm going to climb up. My Mommy didn't say I couldn't do it. At least that's what it seemed like the boys were saying to us. They clearly knew we were outnumbered five to two.
In the photos above, the boys, I thought, were just looking through the railing and trying to pull leaves from the tree (Rebekah told me John had learned this earlier in the week from one of his aunts). Turns out they were throwing John's snack over the railing (after both had been told not to throw any thing over, food or toys or drinks). Xander also managed to toss a ball over too, just so he wouldn't be left out. Good times.
James was the same sweet baby, playing happily in his exersaucer when we first arrived and eventually sitting (or sometimes just laying) in the floor and playing with a few toys. I think we may have interrupted his nap schedule, but hopefully he'll sleep this afternoon when John naps and give his mother a nice, long break!
Sawyer did well, considering it was a new place and that he prefers to play alone. He stayed outside on the deck for a long time, just watching the leaves blow and playing with a random toy or two. He also managed to line up a few books and some rings, once he managed to get Xander to put them down (and got Mommy to help him unlink them, so he could line them up). Xander had a good time, trying out most of the toys. He liked the wooden trains when Connor wasn't hoarding them, the above-mentioned rings that he dangled around for most of the time, and a play cell phone that made noises. His favorite was, of course, was not a toy. It was a cardboard mailing tube that he carried around and waved like a sword. Luckily, he didn't hurt himself or anyone (or anything else) either! Both of the little guys were a bit jealous at times, especially if Mommy tried to help James stand up and bounce. Xander tried to distract me with toys, and Sawyer just tried to pull James' hands out of mine. Clearly, they do not like to share Mommy either!
It was definitely a fun morning and good for all of us to get out and be more social. The fall-like weather was an added bonus, as the boys spent quite a bit of time out on the deck. All of boys seemed to enjoy themselves, and Rebekah and I actually got to chat a little bit more today, which was nice, too.
Connor, my outspoken child, clearly had a great time. On the way home, maybe five minutes after we pulled away, he asked, "Go back to John's house?" When I told him we were going home, we had just been at John's house, he seemed to think about it for just a few seconds, then he nodded and said, "Okay, we go back to John's house later. Tomorrow maybe."
He's nothing if not optimistic. We'll give John and James and Rebekah a little more down time than that, but we'll definitely do it again in the coming weeks if they're up for it. Poor kid, you'd think we abuse him at home or something, the way he's always trying to leave!