A night out!!

*** This is a picture of Dad and Z. This was taken a few weeks ago, but they were ready to go for a walk. The boys have their moments, but they do love their grandpa! They have always liked to go on walks with him. I'm not sure what it is, but it works. It's just their "thing" with grandpa - going for walks, and playing in the truck . . . Okay, that's enough of a picture caption! ***


So, today is Friday, and I got to have my first night out - without the boys - in a very long time! It wasn't a big deal, but it was also a very big deal :)

My cousin's wife was having a Partylite party. The plan was for me, mom, and dad to go . . . and to have a babysitter here with J and Z. Unfortunately, my babysitter has a Friday evening class. So that was out. I checked with a neighbor of mine whose daughter gets along great with the boys. . . and it was a no-go. So dad said that he would come out and keep the boys so that I could go. He doesn't need candles, he just wanted to go and socialize with everyone.

Well, it may not be a night on the town, but it's a night out without the boys. Adult company, conversation, and food - well, hors'd hourves (I'm pretty sure that I spelled it wrong. And yes, I'm the one who is all over every one else's spelling. Get over it - that's a tough word!) And I was excited!

I should mention that this was one of those Fridays when I had a million things to do, and cleaning the house and finishing the laundry was at the bottom of the list. I had car stuff to do (oil change/smog check) a WIC appointment, bra shopping, a stop at the bank, and I got called in the middle of all of that to take clothes to the preschool because Z had an accident. ** That almost never happens. When it does it's rare, and it truly is an accident. He's in the bathroom, trying to take his clothes off to get on the toilet - just not fast enough :( ** So after all of that, at the bottom of the list was lunch, dishes, laundry, and general picking-up. I did not get the house looking the way I wanted it to before it was time to pick up the boys!

So I got the boys, and came home. Had to veg for a few, and got dinner on. Dad got here and I served up dinner and headed out the door.

Even though more than half of the people at the gathering were "family" I almost felt like a stranger. My cousin got married to his wife while I was in the Navy. I wasn't there, and I still don't really know her very well. My other cousin came and brought his fiance. I have never met her before, and I'm not very close to either of these cousins. We grew up far apart, so it's just a little awkward. Anyway, moving on. They are still family, and welcome me regardless of how close we are or how well we (don't) know each other. . . . and I am grateful.

There were conversations about everything, a few games, and prizes :) We all nibbled, laughed, and had a lot of fun. Even though mom canceled at the last minute because she didn't feel well, I'm really glad that I went.

Here at home, things went pretty well. Dad handled dinner, took the boys for a walk, and played in his truck (they think it's the coolest thing) and got them settled down with a movie before I got home. There was one small meltdown while I was on the way home, but I still came back to smiley faces on their charts!

I don't think that we're quite ready for me to be out at bedtime or overnight, but this went well, and it really felt good. Thanks, Dad! I know it wasn't much, and it went fairly smoothly, but it means a lot!

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Well, for now, that's about it. And after this long day, it's definitely time for bed!
Goodnight, world :)