We were supposed to meet my friends Leslie and Monica and their kids at the park for a picnic and playtime on Saturday morning. Cold temps and the high chance of rain had us reconsidering, and we ended up at Play, an indoor playplace in Roswell.
Jake loved the slide that ended in a pool of balls:
This is like the one and only picture I got of Monica and Scott, because this place was big and we got kind of spread out.
My kids all stayed in the foam pit then entire time. The concept was simple: stand at any point around the pit and jump in it.
I might add that they said we were supposed to remove their socks, but we left Jake's on because I have a serious aversion to germs. However, the pit ate his socks.
Jake was not bothered in the least by this development.
Nathaniel can always be counted on to bring some style to a jump.
Nick, too. His specialty is the cannonball.
Nathaniel also started playing with two grown men who were there -- supposedly playing with THEIR children, but I think their kids had gotten bored and moved on to something else. So there they were, two men totally pelting each other with the foam blocks, and Nathaniel started pelting them, too, laughing hysterically. They very kindly included him.
After we got back from Play, Leslie brought her two older kids over to hang out. My mom got out the finger paints and gave the kids old T-shirts to wear over their clothes.
She also brought out the sidewalk chalk.
Nick wasted no time covering himself with it.
He was covered in chalk in a matter of seconds.
Leslie's son Isaac reminded me of a Blue Man Group audition with his finger dripping with blue paint toward the beginning of the adventure.
When they'd been working for a while, there was quite a scene of paint carnage in the driveway.
Hands were covered in paint.
COVERED.
And the "clean water bowl" for washing out hands and sponges looked totally brown. Ick.
But the end results were quite beautiful. Nathaniel's:
Eliza Claire's:
Isaac's:
Nick's:
Afterward, we sort of cleaned them up and then headed over to the pond to feed the geese.
There were only a couple there, but they came running.
The boys threw all their bread in.
Nick was thrilled.
Nathaniel, too. He conserved his bread the best and still had some long after everyone else had run out. He's a planner, that one.
Eliza Claire still had the remnants of the panting on her forehead and in her hair!
My mom with the boys:
When we got back to the house, the kids had fun running around the yard ... rain threatened but never fell.
Jake enjoyed running in and out of the bushes in the front yard.
All of the other kids followed suit.
I do not know what to say about this face.
It didn't take Isaac any time at all to decide to climb up inside the bushes.
After Leslie, Isaac and Eliza Claire (Nick calls Isaac a hybrid of their names, "Elizaac," which I guess is his version of Brangelina) left, the big boys got on the Big Wheels that are entirely too small for them now.
No matter ... they loved riding them all over the driveway anyway.
Up and down and down and up they rode.
It reminded me SO much of them doing the same thing three years ago:
It amazes me that Nathaniel, now 7, can still fit on this!
Well, I guess "fit" is a relative term. Neither of them really "fits" on them anymore.
Jake desperately wanted a turn.
And he finally got his chance.
Nick was really nice and gave up his ride so Jake could try it out.
Jake doesn't know how to pedal yet, so he needed a hand.
He took it in stride -- although he would have preferred to do it himself.
When they finally tired of riding the Big Wheels, I let them climb in the car to play around. They love to push the buttons. (No keys were in the vehicle.)
And then, THEN! It was time for birthday supper. Grayson's 40th.
Followed closely by birthday CAKE, which was Mom's specialty of caramel icing on yellow cake.
SO. GOOD. Jakey agrees.
Remember when I mentioned a minute ago that I let the boys play in the car for a while? This is what happens when you do that:
They turned the parking lights on and we didn't notice and they were on all night. Dead battery when we tried to leave yesterday.
Additionally, the electrical system was malfunctioning and the alarm went off incessantly. That's always very pleasant.
Luckily we were able to jump it off really quickly and get on our way. The ride home was much less exciting than the ride over there.
Just some Pixar movie-watching and music-listening.
And a brief sighting of a truck full of deathtraps (Toyotas, for those of you who don't watch the news).
Now we're back home and preparing for a week full of baseball ... it's Spring Break here, but the baseball, it does not stop.
If you went to see a psychic tomorrow, I wouldn't be surprised if she said she was seeing a lot of baseball pictures in your future.
Fair warning.
2 comments:
What a fun weekend! We don't let the boys play in our van but inevitably there is the odd thing out of place, windshield wipers on, volume all the way up, etc. Have a good week.
Wow, wonderful photos. And Jakey in many without his paci! Yeah for him! I can just hear the noise of the big wheels on the driveway. Such a distinct sound.
Here's a tip for cheap paper for art work: At Sam's Club, in the restaurant supplies area, you will find a roll of paper. It's perfect for rolling off a long piece for joint effort or any size for a single picture.
Beckie
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