We began the events Friday morning (October 7) when I purposely set out non-uniform clothes for T. He came in and told me I did it wrong and we revealed he was not going to school bc we had a surprise. Then we told him about Santa's Village. His jaw dropped. G immediatly thought that meant we would see the Polar Express! Oh boy! T couldn't believe he was gonna miss school for a family day. He was a bit worried and asked me to make sure I called school and told them he wouldn't be there but that he wasn't sick. Too funny. We got ourselves together and out the door we went.
It was so much fun! Tiny enough to handle 3 kids with. Amazing how as a kid the place seems ginormous and now Charito and I laughed at how small the place really was. There was even a couple of rides that Caden was able to go on,t too.
My highlights of this day-Caden's excitement over pumpkins (his girly shrieks), Grayson riding (and feeling like) big boy rides, and Triston running around like a gnat tackling it all. There were a few rides that G was not tall enough for which was hard for him to accept bc he so wanted to be with T. We had to explain to him that if his body touched the green area on the stick he could go on. Well, you should have seen his face when he was in the green for the gian pirate ship, a ride I thought for sure T would avoid bc he and I both got nauseous on that thing at Kiddie Land yrs ago. But nope-they wanted to do it. G ran over to daddy and screamed, "Daddy I am green! I win!! I go on the pirate ship now!"
That feeling when your stomach is shifting up and down was doing me in. By the fourth and fifth swing T and I were ready for it to end. Each time we swung by the operator he would yell, "Okay guy, that is enough. Quite enough now. You can stop it now!". I was practically peeing my pants-picture my mental combination: I am nauseated wishing it would stop soon, Grayson is laughing hysterically bc not only is it fun for him but he is feeling that belly thing, too, and T is trying to bribe the operator all the while trying to hold onto G for dear life bc that little body of his felt like it was going to toss right out of that ship!
After Santa's village we headed to Red Robin for lunch and Goebberts Farm. For such a long day the kids behaved wonderfully. I love that feeling as a parent in our situation-no matter how much we are "out of practice" when it comes to outings as a family they still maintain their manners and behavior well. I love my kids!
We ended the day with naps and movie nite.
Saturday morning T had a soccer game. He gets so close to making goals! We regrouped at home and then headed to Old Orchard for fall shoe shopping. I can't tell you how this life of ours makes us miss the little things like being able to go to a mall and eat at restaurants. G was still feeling good and we decided to gauge each decision on his mood and appearance. Shoe shopping, dragon play and an awesome dinner at Cheesecake Factory completed our day.
Sunday we had a lazy morning. We played in the front yard, set up a new car seat for G so that we could get C out of that annoying snugride, dropped off baby gear at church for pregnancy shelter donations, and visited dear friends for a bit. By the time we returned home that afternoon it was time for naps. We filled our evening with Uncle Neal, Auntie Mimi, Uncle Mike, Ayden and Charley for bday celebrations. With help from my bro Neal I pulled off an actual meal- pork roast, roasted potatoes, stringbeans and carrots, and croissants. It was wonderful to put my kitchen to full use again.
And we were spoiled bc we spent Monday with him, too. I loaded the 4 kids into the van, headed to a bday breakfast with the Lulas and Lolo and then met the rest of my family at Morton Arboretum. We agreed we wanted to explore beyond the childrens labyrinth and garden. So, Neal found us some hiking paths and we hiked our little butts around. The kids were troopers! When we first entered G commented it was scary but once he got in he was great. T and Ayden loved chasing Neal and exploring leaves, fallen trees and crossing trunk bridges. It was so peaceful and serene. Caden insisted on walking some of it. Charley was content in the Bjorn. This place could be my anyday escape. I couldn't do it on my own w three kids but I am happy to join a friend anytime!
After the Morton Arboretum we napped and awaited the arrival of Lolo and Lula Mel for more cake and singing.
His bday present Patch the Pirate a Laloopsy doll
His fav filipino dinner-pancit
It truly was an entire weekend of birthday celebrations. I am grateful that we were able to pack so much in considering. He held strong and had a blast everyday. You could sense in his whole body, every movement, sentence and smile how much he was enjoying all of it. We all did. I told Charito that this weekend alone felt like an entire week of family vacation. Yeah, it would have been nice to go off somewhere exotic but we made the best of what is around us to enjoy. A little bit of new and old things we have missed over the year. It was an expensive, delightful and memorable weekend! We couldn't have asked for better weather and better times! Happy bday, Grayson and happy adventuring Triston and Caden!
