First Day Away

On Monday morning we dropped the kids off for their first official day away from home besides the sitter's house. After they got up, ate breakfast, and changed clothes we were out the door. We drove over to Dallas' parents house to drop off the kids.

I was a little concerned about getting all the kid's accessories out of the car, into the elevator, and up to their 3rd floor apartment but it went well. Linda and Michael came down stairs with one of those big rolling carts that you would use at Canton's First Monday to hold all your 'treasures'. We had brought the side by side stroller for easy transport of the kids and to block off the kitchen area. I had prepacked everything into separate bags for easy carrying but it still felt like we were moving! A bag with swimming gear, a diaper bag with essentials, a bag with their food for the day, two pack n plays for naps, a travel high chair, and a small rolling suitcase full of books and the 'fav' toys of the week! Oh My Goodness!

We got the kids set up, gave them kisses, and we were out the door. Dallas and I stopped at IHOP for breakfast on our way home. While waiting for our table we were playing with a cute 11 month old little girl. It just amazes me how you can drop off your kids whom you see everyday and the minute you are away from them... bam, you miss them! We ate breakfast and headed home to rest before we started working on getting things in order for an upcoming garage sale.

Granddaddy and Nana wasted no time getting started with their day of fun. After morning snack they went for their first play date with the halls. If you recall from a previous blog the kids absolutely LOVE the halls at D's parents house. The halls are long, they echo, and the kids are free to run wild screaming without bothering anyone.

After fun time in the halls was over it was time for the ultimate test of grand parenting- taking the kids swimming!

Not only is it somewhat stressful to take the kids swimming but also the amount of time and effort it takes to get them ready is ridiculous. Undress, change to swim diaper, dress in swimsuit, sunscreen squirmy baby, release and start again. If the desire is there it can be done with a smile. If the desire is not there then more than likely no one will go swimming. Ha! The kids had a great time swimming as usual. Ethan was not as interested in the fountains this time but he really enjoyed playing in the middle of the big pool.

Paige was was simply thrilled regardless because she loves the water so much. We tried a life vest given to us by Christy, D's cousin and it worked great for Paige. She wants to be free to swim and the vest allows her more freedom. I thought she wouldn't want to wear it but it didn't seem to bother her one bit. Thanks Aunt Christy!

After swimming it was time for lunch and nap. I was the most worried about the kids napping while away from home but they had no problems. They were exhausted from swimming and that probably helped. Ethan slept for 1 1/2 hours which is good for him and Paige took her normal 2 1/2 hour nap. They played with toys, read books, and played in the halls again after nap.

Granddaddy surprised the kids with a crazy bouncy pig!

Seriously what goes through little kids heads... "Wow, I might fit there. Yep, I do!"

Ethan has always loved standing on things and has a serious obsession with rugs. I often get onto him for dragging my rugs all over the house to stand or sit on them. Well on this day he found himself in heaven, rug heaven! As they ran through the halls he sampled each rug taking his time to find his perfect perching rug. Linda said he definetly had a few favorites. The things kids do simply make you smile!

Run Babies Run!

The kids went on two walks around the property grounds which they loved. Monday was an amazing day outside and Linda and Michael's apartments in Las Colinas are beautiful. They are built on the canal downtown and the banks are lined with trees. The kids got to feed ducks for the first time and Nana is still kicking herself for forgetting her camera. The pigeons are very accustomed to people and fly very close to you. Paige was amazed by the pigeons. Safe to say my kids are animal lovers!

We arrived a little later than planned which is nothing new. They were hungry and we quickly fed them dinner. We packed up all the stuff and threw them in the bath. Paige was crying because she was so tired and it was definitely time to go. Ethan was asleep before we hit 183 but Paige was over tired. She didn't go to sleep until after we got home around 8:30 pm. I don't know who was more tired the kids or the grandparents but it is for certain they all had a wonderful day together!

It was the first of many days away with grandparents and Grammie you're next! :)