I am not sure how it even happened. This past Saturday was the first time Evan and I had a chance to be at home and have the whole (1300 sq. ft.) place to ourselves. Realistically, with the exception of our two trips and two weddings in the last four years, no one other than us has ever put our kids to bed. Even when we [seldom] do go out on date night, we manage to get home in time for bath and bedtime. While that is our preference, it doesn’t mean that we, like most adults, don’t crave a bit of freedom to go out and feel carefree. In any event, it finally happened when my parents invited the kids out for a whole day of Baba and Deda fun. There was play-doh, as ordered by Sophia well in advance, time with Alex (a surprise to the girls), Rita’s Water Ice, and playground fun. Evan and I dropped the kids off right after breakfast and picked them up after stopping by a wonderful house party my longtime friend was having.
Sophia and Eliza had an amazing time. They felt and looked refreshed, exhilarated and thoroughly loved on. We too were happy to have had more than two hours to ourselves in the city we love. An XLB-filled lunch left us sated and fortified for a few hours at a local beer garden where we enjoyed the glorious weather, a few board games, and the beautiful surroundings. And while I’d like to give you the impression that we wined and dined the entire day, we did not. Before going out to lunch, we made enough [frozen] breakfast burritos to last us a month, baked a pie, made amazing chicken cutlets, and even better salmon avocado summer rolls. There may have been ricotta pancakes topped with raspberries, too. I can neither confirm or deny that. Judge for yourselves.
A good great weekend to round out the summer and hopefully, usher in a new era where the kids feel more secure about visiting and staying with grandparents.