Friday afternoon Petey and I packed up the car and loaded the kids into their carseats. We headed to Des Moines for a fun filled weekend with some of my mommy friends and their kids. All of us have kids Elliot's age and a few of us have younger ones as well. We got there a little before 8 on Friday night and since the kids had napped on the way they were all wound up. We dressed them up in their suits and Daddy took them to the kiddie pool area. It quickly became apparent that I should have gone too. Elliot had his little beach ball taken away right after being run over by kids who were too old and too big to be in that pool. He was kind of upset about his ball but was just so shocked at the craziness going on around him that he didn't seem to notice. Fortunately, they were really cheap & I have several so it wasn't a big loss. Still, my mommy heart hurt for him :( Needless to say that was a quick trip to the pool!!!
After the kids were asleep that night I got a chance to sit and talk with Amy and Melanie. They ended up kicking us out of the pool area a little before midnight which was a bummer but it was great talking to them. It was the first time Melanie had met Amy or I face to face but we already knew each other well enough that it wasn't the slightest bit awkward.
The next morning the kids played together before the pool opened & got right in the middle of the action. It took Elliot and Hadley a few minutes to warm up to the water but in no time at all they were having a blast! Elliot discovered his love of waterslides and was begging Daddy to take him. They went down the BIG water slides countless times. Hadley even loved them too! She had a blast sitting in the water and splashing around and got very, very upset with us when we took her out. We all hit up the mall after the first swim adventure of the day & then the kids napped. We took them back in the water later that afternoon and they had a blast again & again through a fit when it was time to get out. Our group ate supper poolside that night which was an adventure for sure! Toddlers don't understand having to wait for food to be prepared after it's ordered and most of them were so tired and worn out from swimming and playing all day. Our kids only made it to 7 before being put to bed!
Petey got to hang out with some of the other dads that night. They raced cars in the Nascar Simulator several times which was a blast I'm sure. Some of us moms hung out on couches, ate twizzlers and chatted. It may not sound too exciting to some but it was fantastic for us. We don't get a chance to get together too often so we have to take full advantage of the time we do get together! We've already started brainstorming ideas for our next big get together :)
Sunday we packed up and headed out. Our plan was to go to Cornerstone for church. Both of us miss it there quite a bit but our timing was way off. I fought the urge to burst into tears all the way to Ames. It only got worse when Elliot saw the church & started begging for his friends. That boy sure knows how to break his mommy's heart! It turned out to be a good morning anyway. We grabbed some food and then got a coffee to share from Starbucks. I forgot how gloriously delicious their Raspberry Mochas were (we had white mocha which is awesome as well). We drove through the ISU campus & saw several changes that have happened just since May, drove past our old apartment & then hit up Wal-Mart. The kids each got to pick a Hot Wheels car which they were over the moon excited about! They were worth the 98 cents/piece just to see their excitement at getting to pick a new car. After that we met my parents and cousin Dawn at Hickory Park for lunch.
After lunch Elliot ended up going home with Grandma & Grandpa. He didn't have to do too much convincing ;) Hadley enjoyed her time as an only child & took a good nap for Mommy and Daddy all the way home!!
Once we got home Petey put together the dip for our Superbowl party & we were on our way to Greg & Stacey's soon after that. Petey & I were both pretty worn out from the weekend so we spent most of the game lounging on a comfy couch while Hadley played with the other kids and baby-sitter upstairs. The game ended up being pretty exciting and we had a great time hanging out with friends!
Now, we're on to the Monday blahs.....hopefully I'll find a cure soon!
Most people probably know this character better by the name of Thomas but to Elliot he is Tommy Train. For someone who has never watched the Thomas the Train show he sure is obsessed. His Tommy Train puzzle is one of his most favorite things to do. He asks (ahem....begs) daily for me to help him put it together. I usually oblige a few times only to have him tear it apart and ask for it to be put back together again. He is getting pretty good at figuring out which pieces go where & his favorites to put together are Thomas' number and his face. He's a regular ol' pro with those pieces! Sometimes it amazes me how the simplest things can bring him such joy and it never ceases to put a smile on my face! Elliot is so proud of himself after we have it put together!
