8:46 am and it's dark, thundering, and pouring rain - what to do all day with these kids? Right now they are watching The Backyardigans - The Great Tea Party - requested by Jack. His communication is improving daily so for the most part it reduces his frustrations - he used to get upset if I put on an episode he didn't want. And this morning when I asked him if he wanted ketchup on his eggs (as if I needed to ask) he said "yes please". When he wants something he points at it and says "please."
We have music class at 11:15, and then??? Perhaps use the weather as an excuse to let them watch more TV than usual and to get things done around the house.
We had a great, relaxing weekend. It felt extra-long since Javier was home sick from work last Thursday and Friday. Friday we took Declan to get fitted for his new big boy shoes - he's in a size 6 already, hard to believe. On Saturday we went down to the Mercer County Masters Gardeners Open Garden to look at their composters and shade garadens. The drive down was slightly stressful since Declan was over-tired but not going to sleep. He'd whine and Jack would join him, or Declan would be almost asleep and Jack would whine and Declan would start wailing. Since it took longer than we expected, we picked up sandwiches on the way, met mom and dad at the gardens, and had a picnic in one of the most beautiful, peaceful, and serene places that I've seen. We were in the middle of a horse farm, on picnic benches in the shade, next to a beautiful garden. It was so quiet - no cars- refreshing breezes - we couldn't've had a better day. After letting the boys run around the garden a bit and figuring out which composter we should get, we headed over to visit the horses. Jack was patting the horses (with moms help and encouragement, naturally) and even though I know I did the same as a kid, I was so worried that I didn't know the horse and that he would just take a chomp out of Jack. Didn't happen...
We were thinking about heading as a group to Lambertville, but I didn't think the boys could make it, and it's not the most child-friendly town (no strollers in many of the stores full of breakable art...)- so Mom and Dad were nice enough to switch cars with us and take the boys to East Windsor while Javier and I went on to Lambertville. We strolled around the town looking at furniture and art, and I think I found a console table for the living room, though the logistics of going back down there are a bit daunting. But it's these little moments without the kids that Javier and I turn into dates, and it's so nice to walk around a pretty town, holding hands, and puttering in unusual stores. We wrapped up our visit with a drink at the Canal Side Bar, sitting outside and people watching. We left around 5, and were back in East Windsor to have dinner with the boys - funny how I miss them after just a few short hours.
Sunday we hung out in East Windsor - our typical big breakfast - and then we hung out in the yard doing some gardening work while the boys played. Jack got on the riding mower with Dad to do the lawn, and as he went around the yard, Jack would wave at us. Mom was rocking Declan on the front porch, and somehow he slept through the noisy ruckus of lawn mowers, weed wackers, and such. Mrs. Lashomb came by to say hello to the boys and was telling us all about her recent visit to Poland. While she and mom were on the front porch with Declan, Javier and I were digging in the front garden, and I saw Jack in the garage sitting on the riding mower. All of the sudden the mower started up in the garage, sounding so loud and scary, and I jumped up to see Jack on the mower, somehow he started it. In that split second I screamed "Jack!" and was moving over in my bare feet (and wondering if I was going to lose a toe or two) to get Jack to safety when Javier jumped in front of me and grabbed Jack off the seat of the mower, which stopped the mower. The mower has a safety feature that stops when when there's no weight on the seat. The whole thing happened and was over in seconds, but it took awhile for my limbs to stop shaking. Dad came running outside saying that when he heard the mower start he knew it was Jack. Sigh. And Declan snoozed through the hoopla.
We were back in Summit early enough on Sunday to enjoy some quiet time at the house and unwind before the start of a new week. Javier made stuffed poblano peppers for dinner (hot, hot, hot!) and while we finished our dinner, the boys went next door to play with Sophie and Tucker MacMillan, leaving Javier and I 10 minutes of peace and quiet to finish dinner. Everybody was happy...
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