More fun than we can handle!

Wow, this weekend has been a whirlwind of activity! Friday we had tickets to go see Jack Johnson in concert at Sandstone. We knew it would be a late one, so we decided to finally cash in our Christmas present from Catherine and Gloria. This was for a free, over-night babysit for both of the boys. I was a little hesitant since this would be their first sleepover with someone other than Grandma & Pop Pop. However, I shouldn't have been -- the boys had a blast! They even slept in 'til 7:30 for them -- that never happens at our house! Thank you ladies = )

It has been forever since Corey and I have been to Sandstone. The best we could calculate was about 8 years ago for a Widespread Panic show. Wow. That sure makes me feel old ... going to concerts used to be one of our favorite things to do when we were first together! So, it was really awesome to get to have a fun night out as a couple and feel like not such old fogeys for a while = ) We went with our friends from down the street, Virginia and Tony. It was actually their idea and I am so glad they invited us ... thank you V & T!!! I must say, though, I think Virginia and I probably got the most out of the concert as Corey and Tony seemed to spend most of their time in line for cocktails. But, they are both very social guys and seem to bring the party with them wherever they go. They had a great time, too = )

The next morning, we got up bright and early to take the boys to Deanna Rose Farmstead in Overland Park and meet my friend Haley and her boy Dane. My brain was a little foggy from all of the festivities the night before, so of course, once we picked up the boys clear across the other side of town I remembered several things I'd forgotton. Important stuff like camera, sippy cups, baby wipes. Yep, now I remember why I don't go to concerts all the time = ) Anyhow, luckily Haley is such a dear, she agreed to move our meet time back to 10:00 which helped things go much more smoothely.

The boys had so much fun petting and feeding all of the animals. Gage once again was telling the animals "hi" and was not shy at all about letting them eat out of his hand. Riley also got the giggles again whenever an animal would get close to him = ). Dane and Riley also got to ride the "ponies." I have ponies in quotes because these animals were not ponies, they were full grown horses. I was actually a little nervous that Riley might fall off (especially since we had fibbed and said the boys were 3 - the minimum riding age) but both he and Dane did awesome and really enjoyed their ride!

Gage, of course, was way too little, but he enjoyed riding every single play animal toy that was at the park ... 10 in total, I believe! He would just rock back and forth a few times then bounce his little self on over to the next one = )

While there, we ran into a couple of friends from Lawrence and got to say a quick hi to Kristi and Jill and their crew. That was close to lunch time and I think we had all had about as much fun as we could handle at that point = )

We went out to eat afterwards and met up with Haley's hubby, Rob. The very smart restaurant host, who mentioned he also has toddlers, sat us all in a corner pretty much all to ourselves. It couldn't have worked out better; the boys were able to have a great time without us parents feeling like we were bothering everyone else. I was so happy to see how well all the boys got along and interracted. With Riley & Dane being only a month apart, they are pretty much on the same page about most things. I'm sure if they got together more often this might change, but there were absolutely no fights or meltdowns - - even though they ate late and were well past naptime!

Next, we headed back to Lawrence and the boys caught a nap in the car. We tried to get them to nap some more at home, but that wasn't happening, they were too amped. So, we headed out to the airport for a surprise party for Corey's boss, Lloyd. He has been in business 25 years now. It was a great turnout and of course, everyone oohed and aahed about how cute the boys are. As their mom, I of course hate to hear that ; ) It was nice to visit everyone and the boys always love to see the airplanes. This time they even got to see one up close taxi down the runway and takeoff. I wish I'd had my camera for that ... the look of awe on their faces was amazing.

Now, finally, it's Sunday, and we are all just relaxing. We definitely need it! But, this has been a super enjoyable weekend and I can't wait to have more just like it!