texas trip - days 9-10

Monday was Memorial Day, so Laura had the day off of work.  She had planned a playdate with her friend Julia and her 2 kids, who are about the same ages as Jed and Camryn.  We intended to go to the park, but when she arrived the sky looked menacing and shortly afterward the heavens opened and drenched everything.  So we opted for an inside playdate. :)  Once the rain calmed down to a drizzle, I let Jed play in the backyard and he loved it!

In the afternoon, Camryn watched the rain through the window and Jed played upstairs with Amara, pouring beads into a pool noodle and catching them in a box on the other end.  Amara crafted all kinds of tools for him out of bright green duct tape, including a cup for pouring and 2 different funnel attachments.

I had gone to Target to get some supplies for crafts and activities I had found online, since I needed new ways to keep Jed entertained over the next 2 weeks.  That night I put together the first one, sensory bugs!  2 are filled with sugar, 2 with popcorn kernels, and 1 with rice.  There is a ladybug, a bumblebee, and 3 unidentified creatures. :) Jed told me the blue one was a "fishy named Friendly".  Though to be honest, he really didn't love them as much as I thought and hoped he would!  *sigh* Oh well, all I can do is try! :)

Tuesday I decided it was time to try taking the kids to the park by myself, so I put Jed in Camryn's stroller and planned on carrying her (neither Laura nor I have a double stroller).  I didn't think it would be easy, but we needed to get out of the house more than just on the weekend!  So I packed some snacks, strapped Jed in, picked up Camryn...and saw the storage basket.  It occurred to me that she is probably small enough to fit in the basket, so I thought I would give it a shot.  I got a large, fluffy blanket and lined the basket with it, put her in, and gave her a toy.  She fussed at first but stopped as soon as we got outside.  It was a little unorthodox but it worked!

The kids loved the park and so did I.  We didn't stay for very long, but it was enough to pass some of the time and enjoy some new sights and fresh air.  The kids loved the seesaw best of all (they both laughed and laughed!), but also enjoyed swinging next to each other:

That evening, Laura and Camryn went to their Mamas and Babies group, and Jed and I went back to the park.  We saw some kids down by the stream before we made it as far as the playground, and stopped to see what they were doing.  They had found some crawfish and tadpoles, so Jed and I watched and took our turn holding some.  One of the kids gave a crawfish a quarter just for fun, but then the crawfish didn't want to give it back!  We couldn't wrench the coin from his grip, so we had to wait until he let go on his own to get the money back.  After the kids left, Jed and I wandered a little further down the stream and played there until it was time to head home and get ready for bed.

On the way home we ran into Laura, who had come back from her playgroup early because it had been canceled for the evening but she didn't know.  Her phone had also died (not run out of battery, just...died), so she hadn't been able to call anyone or check her email. :(  She and Camryn were on their way to the park, so they could at least do something fun before bedtime.  Since Jed and I had not actually made it to the playground, we headed there with them and just sped up the bedtime routine to compensate.

After we got the kids in bed and Dave got home, we adults were hungry!  So Dave ordered some food from Zack's, and my gluten-free pizza came in the most ridiculously oversized box:

Really, you'd think they'd have smaller boxes somewhere.