Goodbye February. Even though you had an extra day this year, you still went by fast. And thank you for not taking your sweet time. While it was the best February on record (so much sunshine!! and so much fun!!) I'm still anxious to get on with Spring.
We did end February with a bang. :)
On a Thursday night (the 25th), Matt and I went to a concert. Our favorite band at our favorite local venue.
Hot Buttered Rum!!
At first we didn't think we could go. It's tough to find late-night babysitters for a Thursday. Most people work or go to school the next day. Then I remembered I had a brother. And his shift the next day didn't start until 1pm. Bingo! We found a way to make it happen.
And boy oh boy it was a late night. A very late night!
Matt and I didn't walk through our front door until 2:30am.
For the 7 (yes s-e-v-e-n) hours that Matt and I were out on the town (and totally kid-free) we had quite the adventure. We don't get out a lot without our kids. So we were determined to make the most of it. I would definitely say....mission accomplished! We had a ton of fun. Maybe a little too much?!?!
We owe much gratitude to Sam and Alison for watching our kids for such a long stint. (Particularly long...once they figured out the little one wouldn't go to sleep. Not with his mama out of the house!) But I was also impressed by their ability to devise the most creative of ways to entertain the rascals.
As we wined and dined before the show, images of the kids "decorating for a party" continued to come through text. The crew had stumbled across the party box in the basement, and it was an instant hit.
These pics show just the beginning of the decorating process... The next morning I proceeded to find plastic cucumbers, hammers, easter eggs, scarves, and much more - all taped to the wall. It was like walking into a Pee Wee's Playhouse
....or waking up in a very strange dream.
Nat, from the band, had some time to kill before his set. (There were two opening bands. So he wouldn't start till 11pm.) So he hung with Matt and I for a couple hours.
We started at The Whiskey.
Then proceeded to location two. Blue Agave.
Then it was show time!
(And we made it on the guest list. Sweet! Free tickets!)
What a night. How nice to feel young again! We danced. Met great folks. Went backstage. We really rocked it out.
Then totally regretted staying up so late once the kiddos came 'a knockin at 6am. Noooooo!!!! Please go back to bed!!!!
Matt hustled them off to school. I had (quite smartly) taken a half day off work. So after a refreshing nap, I was ready to start my afternoon shift. A quick couple hours of work and it was the weekend! The glorious weekend!!
One night away from the kids was pretty invigorating. But we sure did miss them.
Just look at that face!
We wasted no time getting back into the swing of parenting.
What a find! Sage discovered an old bag of buttons. And we created the coolest art out of it. Nothing goes to waste in this house!
Kale is a quirky kid. Matt left the room for less than two minutes. When he returns, he finds that Kale has hauled a chair over to (and up on top of) the fireplace. Where he proceeded to sit and snuggle his Pooh. The odd things...
On Sunday, we had a big playdate planned. Sage invited two friends over (and their parents). Honestly....playdates are just as much for the adults as the kids, right?!?
And we really could not have picked a better day! We were in the 70's and it was gorgeous!
In preparation for our party, Kale mowed the driveway and sidewalk. Always keeping the cul-de-sac well groomed!
We served brunch and bloody mary's. And we blew up the old bounce house.
(I guess this playdate was sponsored by the letter B?)
These three boys are best buds. They got totally lost in each other. Forgetting the parents were there at all. Except immediately following injuries (which we had several of.)
Bromance!!
The boys ran. They jumped. The wrestled. It was a high-energy kung fu bounce-a-thon!
The parents all agreed, boys are wild wild creatures. We sat around joking what a playdate might look like if we all had girls. Hours and hours of coloring in the lines, we joked. Or maybe they'd all be huddled in a corner reading.... ha!
The preferred game for our bunch of boys was shutting the bounce house off and on. They loved it when the house would deflate around them (totally against the Little Tykes safety guidelines, of course). Then a volunteer kid would run over to flip the switch, and whoosh, it would inflate right back up.
Eventually I had to unplug the air pump because I was sure they would short-circuit the thing.
We had to come up with an alternative activity, so we made the kids a fort. Where they sent their hot wheels down the slide, one at a time. It was a hit. And bought us parents just enough time for a final round of adult beverages.
We started at 10:30. By 2pm the last guest had left. You would think the kids would need a nap after all that rough-housing. Fooled you! Not my kids. It was sunny out, and they were ready for round two.
I offered to take the boys on a bike ride. On the first lap, Sage rode in the trailer with Kale. For the second lap, Sage rode along side me on his own bike. He is such a big kid these days!
When we got back from our ride, the neighborhood girls were outside playing with skateboards. So of course we had to join in. (Sage's idea - not mine).
This rendezvous in the front yard was the beginning of a new chapter for Sage. Now, whenever the girls are out, he wants to go play too. Unfortunately for him (and me) he's not old enough to play in the front yard alone. So if I'm up for it, I'll take him out there. If I'm not, it becomes a big struggle as I try to bribe him into a different activity. The girls have also gotten into the habit of asking if Sage can play. And if I say no, they ask me why. And they rarely like my answers. Ha! I wasn't prepared for this!
I've started closing the garage door before getting out of the car. It seems rude, I know. But I don't want to be bombarded with requests for neighborhood play. Not at 5:30pm on a Tuesday. No way! This mom needs a moment please!
I've got a better idea how to spend a Tuesday night anyway...
ice-cream run!
