Girls Day Out

photos - girls outside Uncle R's kiln, Nana and cousin I, Uncle R and his work

Not much to report from Thursday. I spent all day with the kids and their friends C & H because their parents are away for the weekend. The day was originally supposed to have the kids together until 1pm, but I ended up keeping them together until 4:30pm because the person who was meant to have them in the afternoon had her own houseful of sick kids. It went pretty well, but these four kids have a high energy level together and by 4:30pm, I was ready for just my own kids. I did manage to get them all to have some quiet time and even got H to have a nap! The weather was miserable too, so I couldn't even get them outside to run around for an hour or so. Thursday night was all about TV at our house - my tv shows.....so after a nice adult dinner (and a trip to the gym beforehand) I removed myself to the couch to watch Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy and Lost. All new programming. I'm not sure how I survived the winter with the writer's strike.

Today was a lovely day. After a day with four children, it was a wonderful treat to have the day without the children. We were up early and organized for a day at daycare. I picked up C & H to drop them off as well. Then it was off to the gym for me. I almost had Auntie J recruited to join me for my class last night, but this morning she opted for a nice walk up the hill with Airlie instead of a gruelling hour at the gym. It was a good class, but hard work. I stopped at the bank and accountant on the way home and then came back to get showered and ready for our ladies leisurely afternoon.

We headed out around noon, leaving Papa at home to work and take Airlie to the vet. We stopped at the junction for a lovely healther lunch at a local cafe. The sun was out today, so it was wondeful to sit in the cafe by the window and soak up the sun. Then we headed up the valley to Auntie E's house. We had a great visit. Uncle R was in the middle of a firing, so Nana and Auntie J (and me for that matter) got to see his wood kiln in action. He gave us a quick tour of his studio and then we went inside for a cup of tea with Auntie E and a chat. Cousin I refused to nap so she came downstairs for a visit. She was happy to crawl up into Nana's lap for a snuggle and a visit with her doll, Maggie. Baby R slept most of the time in his swing but woke up at the end and wooed us all with his smiles. We headed off with enough time to make it back to pick the kids up from daycare.

They were happy to see me when I rolled into the daycare to pick them up. It didn't take long for them to meltdown though. Daycare days are long and by the time we get home they let their guards down and typically meltdown into crying, miserable messes. We made it through a sushi dinner that they mostly didn't eat, an episode of Babar and a quick bath before we tucked them into bed. Papa went to pick up the babysitter at 7pm and the grown-ups got to go out for dinner. We had a lovely meal down at the hotel by the lake and were home by 10pm. It looks like clear skies and warm weather ahead for the weekend. What a contrast from the horrible weather that greeted Nana and Auntie J last weekend.