The Big Sleepover

We had the kid’s buddies over for a sleepover last weekend, and it really struck us how they end up sleeping in so many different places with all these camps and convoluted living arrangements. A&I spent last Saturday and A&N were thrilled. HH had to be at a special event and her kids are awesome, so we were more than happy to have them over. It was supposed to be a hot weekend, too, so swimming was in the picture.

One complication was that N and I were slated to do the parent/child open stick before they arrived, so R was going to be solo with the girls, but it all worked out fine because they ended up just going to the pond and spending the day there. R was a little concerned about being out in the hot sun for hours, but there are some nice shady spots under the trees and shrubs. In fact, even in the heat, it’s a really nice spot to go to, and the kids can spend hours in the water.

N and I went to the open stick and it was pretty empty there, which normally would bum me out, but in this instance, it worked out well because we had large swaths of the ice to ourselves. We had fun, and then we jetted home and met the girls over at the pond. It was quite the party over there, with lots of kids and parents, most of whom we knew. The kids had a blast just floating on the water and catching fish and bugs. R packed lots of cold drinks, and we had a super nice afternoon.

At some point we were going to have to eat, so I went home before everyone else and cooked up the big feast. R picked a bunch of snaps peas from the garden, and the kids ate seconds and even thirds of the main course, which I took to mean that they liked the food. I know what A&N like, I was more concerned about our guests.

The kids wanted ice cream for desert, so they drove over to the farm stand and I rode my bike. They say the farm stand never closes, and the ice cream is on the honor system, but on this day it was locked, and it wasn’t even that late. Apparently someone stole money from the box, and now they lock it more frequently. Bummer. We drove over to BG’s instead, and yours truly followed on my bike. I worked hard for my ice cream.

Afterward, we went home and the kids watched Shrek up in their bedroom, and then it was off to bed. It was late, and they were tired after a long day of swimming and various activities. A was nice enough to give up her bed to A, who had been camping all week and hadn’t slept in a real bed for days.

The next morning, I woke up early and whipped together about 3 dozen pancakes (they were small) along with strawberries and pineapple. We skipped the traditional bacon since there were vegetarians amongst us. Soon after breakfast, I went to work on the barn and R took the kids to the pond. Later I joined them on my bike, and again, it as a hot but pleasant by the water. We swam for a bit and then, if you can believe it, the time came for yet another meal. Growing kids, they need to eat.

We served lunch, and soon HH showed up and took the kids home. It was a long day, but the kids had fun, and I still got to go and watch N at hockey skills camp. With the weekend over, we had a busy week of camp and market to look forward to. I can’t wait.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Patrizia Schiozzi for the pic.