When Connor is away, Mommy and brothers will play. We got a call yesterday morning from one of Mommy's good friends from college who lives about an hour away, and we decided to meet at the halfway point for an afternoon out with our little guys (her one and my two). I got online and found a park just a few miles off the interstate, and we got to enjoy a wonderful fall afternoon watching the boys play and catching up on our crazy lives.
My boys were a little cranky in the beginning, having fallen asleep on the way there. Sawyer actually never made it out of the double stroller, but seemed pretty content there watching Mommy and brother and munching on some suckers and some dry cereal. Xander was clingy and unhappy at first, but after being dumped on the slide a few times he decided it might not be so bad after all. He eventually found a set of plastic stairs made to look like rock steps, and we spent the majority of our time there. Unfortunately, this was right across from some picnic tables where a little boy was having a "John Deere" themed party, and he kept wandering over trying to get a cup or a balloon away from the tables.
Lavin's little boy Zach quickly attached himself to an older little girl (probably 6 or 7, but I'm terrible with ages, to his nearly 17 months). They were walking around and playing on all of the equipment, with Lavin trailing behind to make sure they didn't get into trouble.
We ended our day with lunch on the patio at a little sandwich shop. My boys, of course, ate nothing much of anything and later accosted Daddy as he tried to eat a late dinner at home. Zach did much better, eating his sandwich and yogurt and drinking his milk. And Lavin and I got to eat in between keeping our boys pacified.
It was fun to see how someone I knew long before kids were in the picture is with her little boy. She was completely calm and laid-back, even when Zach decided he didn't want to use the straw but instead squeeze the milk carton and drink from the hole where the straw should have gone. I envy that calm, and know that my boys would probably appreciate a little bit more of it in our house. We'll have to work on that.
So, another busy day, but a fun one too. There are a few pictures here.
Slowly but surely, we're getting the boys out and about in the world a bit more. They're not always happy about it, but they're adjusting. One step at a time . . .