Connor has a hard life.
First grade is tough. He has at least an hour of homework every night. Seriously (which is a bit ridiculous, as I don't remember homework until like fourth grade, but I digress). His brothers are not the best of playmates, to say the least. About the only game he can get them to play is chase, and that's generally short-lived if he can even get them to agree to play. He also would like to mention how unfair it is that he has "chores" to do around the house, and his brothers do not. And that he has to do homework to earn screen time, while his brothers simply get to play. I'm sure he would add more grievances to the list, but those are the big ones.
Like I said, he has a hard life.
Take last week for instance. Fall Break was approaching. Connor has been booked for a few months. Have I mentioned that Connor is our have-suitcase-will-travel child? He's actually quite popular, and his calendar fills up fast with people offering to take him on trips and fun adventures. This particular break got an early request from Grandma and Grandpa at the lake. Connor was going to the mountains.
That's right. Swimming pools. Race cars. Putt putt golf. Eating out two or three times a day. Hard times.
Grandma and Grandpa came up to our house to pick him up. We even let him leave school right after lunch so they could get on the road a little sooner and make it to their condo in time to check-in before the office staff left for the day. I actually got to drive their new car to school to pick him up, which was fun little adventure for me (the car just rumbles, and I love it). But as soon as I got Connor back home, he was practically kicking me out of the car to get on the road. The mountains, and his one-on-one status as the only child around for miles, was waiting.
Fall Break included three nights and four days in the mountains. He got to swim every single night (most likely followed by popcorn and Pepsi before bed). He spent two whole mornings at the "Track" riding race cars, bumper cars, ferris wheels and a whole assortment of other children's rides. He got to pick where they went to eat for lunch and dinner nearly every day. And he managed to avoid the actual mountains for most of the trip. He got talked into one short hike (on a paved trail to a waterfall) and one other drive through the mountains where they stopped to play in the creek. The swimming pool and race cars called to him much more than the mountains, apparently.
The last night and day was spent back at Grandma and Grandpa's cabin at the lake. He once again enjoyed the status of only child around for miles, meaning you get pretty much whatever you ask for within reasonable limits. That's his idea of a good time.
On Sunday, they came back into town. We met up with Uncle Brian and Cousins Austin and Kyndal for dinner at one of our favorites, Cracker Barrel. He barely made it into bed by his normal school bed time.
Yes, he has a hard life. It's hard to be him.
