Ian and Connor were invited next door to celebrate their friend's 8th birthday-complete with a Build-a-Bear workshop (Mommy enjoyed this way more than the boys) a huge bouncer, pizza and cake. The boys loved playing in the bouncer all afternoon with all of the bigger kids. Connor sat mostly with the girls and Ian followed the bigger boys in chase games.
Mommy enjoyed the jalapeno pizza-which is definitely on my to-order-next-time list. How could I not have discovered this until now?
The boys spent the entire afternoon there and promptly came home and were ASLEEP by 7:30pm. Miracle of all miracles.
Today, Ian spent a good portion of his day working on an X-wing fighter Lego jet (what else?) and Connor was playing with Cars cars. Tom worked on his closet all day. The doorbell rang in the afternoon with our little neighbors asking Ian to come over to play. We sent him over on his own for the first time-letting him walk over and trying not to be too helicopter. Of course, about a half-hour later, we hear crying from the bouncer and a few moments later, the doorbell rings. He is back, having gotten hurt in the bouncer and needing a break.
The weather is cool outside, so we decide to eat out in the backyard. The neighbor friends are bouncing away and waving to the boys. Ian finally decides he is ready to go back and play. He goes back over maybe 45 minutes until Tom walks over to bring him home for bath and bedtime.
Tom and I mentioned that it is the first time we have allowed him to go play on his own while we are home. Our neighbors have the nicest two kids -always polite, kind and considerate. They come over all the time to ask Ian to come out and play. They often come into our backyard after dinner too. Tom and I feel a bit nostalgic thinking of how we would go off and play for hours as kids. Times feel different now where you feel like you must be protective and you must be cautious about who they are with and where they venture. Yet, allowing him the freedom to play and have some independence feels nice too.
Back to work tomorrow and it is no holds barred for this week between chorale festival, Tom's rehearsals and we both have chorale work all weekend. Yet, we have enjoyed some nicer weather, some fun activities and some projects. Not all was accomplished, but enough to feel productive. And enough to see Connor really progress with so much direct conversation. That was the very best part.
3 comments:
Boy, you are sooooo right about how things have changed for kids and playtime, etc! Can you believe this but I was going over to our neighbor's home, playing with their daughter, out in their yard, when I was only 3 years old!??? My son, when he was around 4, would get up before me and sneak out of the house and go to our neighbor's two doors down or to my Mom's spinster cousins' home about 5 doors away and have breakfast with these folks! Maya will be 5 this coming Saturday and she is not allowed to go outside the house to play in our yard, much less possibly go to someone else's home. Granted, the circumstances are different for her than they were for my kids and for myself, but even if she didn't have her issues, it's doubtful she would be allowed outside without an adult or at least her big sister who is almost 17 being with her.
Good for Ian! and good for you and Tom :) Yes that must of been tough- but great for his independance.
That's great! It's so nice to have good neighbors to play with. It's good for you too so that you don't feel like you are dividing yourself in two.
Jalapeno pizza? It sounds good but is it too hot? I've never heard of it.
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