Marathon playdates

Yesterday was a marathon. I had offered to take our friend's kids for the day when C had to drive to Kelowna and back to pick up D and drop off his mom. I figured neither of them needed 8 hours of kids in a car, so I snuck out at 6am to begin my shift so they could hit the road. I had C & H back at my house just after 9am and the kids never stopped. We got organized and headed out to our other friend's house, the one with the big backyard, so that I could release all the children into a contained space and spend 4 hours sitting on a lawn chair with C, watching the kids run around. There was the odd incident to referee, including a bit of a squabble between our two dogs over Airlie's red rubber ball, but otherwise we enjoyed an afternoon of sunshine. The day was full of treats too - donuts in the morning, DQ dilly bar ice cream in the afternoon. All of the kids were ready for a break when I loaded them back in the van at 3:30pm to take C & H back home to greet their parents.

I headed home with my kids for an hour's break before heading off to the next party. Papa had a hockey date in town with L at the pub, and I had an invite to our first BBQ of the season. When I left the house I thought that I would only get about an hour out of my already exhausted children, so I was surprised when I rolled back into the garage at 10pm with one sleeping boy and one quiet daughter. The kids did great. Our friends have a big backyard with a treehouse and lots of space to explore. There were about 8 other kids there, all about the same ages, so they all had a blast playing. We had dinner, mini ice cream cones and then marshmallows by the firepit. Bean was right in there with the other two 6 year old boys, stoking the fire. They must have spent about an hour picking up little sticks and grass to throw into the waning fire. We were sure to stay for a piece of apple pie before we headed home. The hit for all of the kids, I think, was an introduction to their two pet rats. The dad, J had one of the rats out for the kids to pet, feed and hold. Schmoo was even brave enough to have it crawling around on her shoulders.

With a such a late night and busy day I thought we were destined for a night of night terrors and an early start. What a joy to be awoke at 8am by Schmoo and not hear Bean's pitter patter until 8:30am! They were obviously very tired. We ended up having a much more relaxed day. Schmoo and I went to church - after a long Lenten hiatus - while Papa and Bean did the grocery shopping. We came home for lunch and then spent a big part of the afternoon cleaning....the bathrooms for Mama and then both of the kids' rooms. What a treat to put them to bed and see tidy and organized rooms. I got a treat in the afternoon - a long nap, while Papa organized the roast pork supper and watched a soccer game on the computer and the kids watched a movie. We had a yummy family dinner together and then after a run in the garden, a nice bath and early bedtime. We have another super busy week ahead, so it's another early night for Mama.