Play Date

Today I watched Stevie and Allie for a friend while she had a Dr's appointment. Yay for having friend's kids to watch! They were awesome, and played really well with Vincente. I was actually really impressed with all of them for how well they played together. 

There was very little fighting, and the only tumbling happened on the trampoline, with everyone really enjoying knocking each other down (and being knocked down!!) I thought at least one of the kids would be a wuss about wrestling on the tramp (and I actually assumed it would be Vincente), but they all just got back up after being knocked down. Allie didn't even mind having the boys all sit on her at once. She thought it was hilarious. 

Mostly Allie liked playing with Joseline ("Baby!") but that required a lot of supervision, since Allie is just under two and was very determined to pick Joseline up off the floor. And yes, Joseline is in this picture... she's just kind of covered by Allie. You can see her head poking through Allie's arms.

The area behind our house is very grassy and shady. Perfect for little boys to go exploring. After they had their fill of the trampoline, they took off down the hill into the shady backyard mostly to throw dirt and run through the tall grass. 

    

    

They each had their spills and tumbles, and at one point Vince decided it would be more entertaining to throw his camo crocs into the tall grass than to wear them... and then he couldn't find them... since they are camo... Anyway, I took off down the slope to retrieve them for him, and in the meantime, Allie decided that she wanted to explore, too, but her balance isn't quite as developed as the boys. I'd been trying to keep her at the top of the hill so I wouldn't have to explain a concussion to her mom, but before I could get back to the top of the hill, she had already taken off down the hill. I got to her just as she face planted down the hill. She was fine, and it actually looked like she wanted to do it again! 8-o But I think we ended up going back inside at the point.

We had mac and cheese for lunch with Laurel when she got there to pick up the kids. After a fun time chatting and eating, the kids picked up the toys, our friends left, and Vince and Joseline crashed for a nap. They both had more fun than they've had in a while. Joseline was thoroughly entertained by all the commotion, and Vincente seemed to enjoy having someone to jump with on the trampoline.

I was very impressed with myself for taking care of four kids under 4 for two hours by myself - and one of those being a nursing baby! She actually only nursed once the whole time the kids were there, and slept for a lot of it, and chilled on the living room floor for the rest of the time. If she hadn't been so mellow today I don't think it could have been done.

But having other kids to play with Vince definitely seems to be a good thing for me. Even if there are more little hands to keep track of, the fun is totally worth it!