Bluebonnet Picnic in the Park

Luka has been begging for weeks to go "to the park, the one with the bluebonnets where we can play afterwards."  Perfect timing.  Scott was gone on a mancation to Ashville, NC, with some college buddies.  I was looking to fill some time for the weekend, so Angie and I decided to get the cousins together on Friday night.  Mimi and Papa came along a well, and so we headed to Creekside park for pictures with the bluebonnets, and picnic, and playtime.  The weather was gorgeous, and with the time change, it actually got pretty late without us really realizing it.

After the picnic, we played frisbee and ball in the huge open grass area. 

Mikayla found the hill, and busied herself running up and down.  Once at the top, she would gaze around and assess the situation, but sooner or later would get up the nerve to run down again.

Pondering

Thinking about it.

Ready...

...set...

...go!

Now, a bit about the sleepover.  So many sleeping arrangement options to consider.  The first plan was to have Ang in TJ's room with both girls, neither of whom settled down well.  At one point, we went up and Macy (sleeping in the pack-n-play) had pulled all of TJ's underwear out of his drawer and the clothes off his shelf.  Mimi was sleeping with Mikayla in her room, and Papa in Luka's room, with me and both boys in my room.  Mind you, this is after Luka and Norah had both thrown fits, and to top it all off, in between running up and down between kid's rooms and trying to get them all settled, we were trying to review Mom and Dad's will, of all things. 

At 10:30, with 4 of the 5 kids still awake, we all tried to settle in.  Ang now had Macy in TJ's bed with her.  Five minutes after I crawled in, I thought of another plan, and went back upstairs to let Ang know that maybe she should consider sleeping in my room, with Norah and the two boys on the floor, and let Macy have TJ's room so she could cry it out.  Angie seemed to think the current arrangement just might work, so I went back downstairs and settled in.  Five minutes later, here comes Angie with Norah's bed and her pillow, ready for the third plan.  I make another bed on the floor for TJ, and move him down. We get all settled in again, and Norah coughs a bit.  Ang says, "Oh, I forgot to tell you that Norah has a cough."  Hmm, ok.  I figure that as soon as she goes to sleep, the coughing will cease.  

Next thing I know, with Macy still throwing a fit up in TJ's room, who we can hear with no monitor, I hear Ang get up and go upstairs again to try to settle her down, (taking her pillow, so I know she's not coming back) because she's worried about Macy waking up Dad, who is in Luka's room.  Ok, so that's that.  I fall asleep, and in the next two hours, realize that I keep waking up, because Norah is still coughing in her sleep.  I put in another ear plug, but that doesn't do the trick.  

I get up and scrounge for any remaining sheets that I can throw on the couch for my next bed.  I settle in with the afghan and it's about 2:00 a.m.  I have about 4 1/2 hours before the household will stir.  Mind you, at this point, there is not one person sleeping in the king sized master bed.  I wake up again, and again, and again, and realize the noise of the fish tank is waking me up each time it bubbles.  I decide to take my chances and head back to my own comfortable bed, since it is wide open.  Next thing I know, it is 6:30, and Ang is coming to get me, with Macy, who is wide awake, because we are headed to the flea market while Mimi and Papa watch the kids.  At about 7:00, as we are having a quick coffee, I look at Ang and say "I was going to ask you if you just want to forget the flea market with the night we've had, but then I realized that you'd probably rather be anywhere but in the house this morning with the kids for breakfast."  She responded, "Yep, I thought the same thing.  Let's get out of here..."