Outdoor Fun

Yesterday it was 65 degrees out and we met some friends at Clemyjontri park, a HUGE complex in McLean. The land was donated by a local family (the name is a combination of all the names of the children in the family: Carolyn, Emily, etc) and the park was designed to accommodate children of all levels of ability, including the physically disabled. The girls had a great time, although like always I forgot to bring the camera. It's kind of a stressful place for parents though, as it is teeming with children running every which way and it is so big that it is easy to lose track of your kids as they go running off in different directions. I lost track of the Bean for less than a minute and I was almost reduced to tears (granted, I am a bit more histrionic than your more well-adjusted mom; our friend lost track of her daughter within the first five minutes and very calmly went to find her). The girls loved finally being able to get outside and play!

After that we went to a local eatery, the McLean Family Restaurant, and I thought I noticed a slight look of fear in the eyes as we entered with four children ranging in age from almost five years old to just over six months. The girls did great, however, although it was very close to the Moo and the Bean's bedtime and it showed. We had one brief Bean meltdown before we got there, and she had to admonish the Moo several times to "stop tangonizing me!" (that's Bean for "stop antagonizing me!"). Dad was also mortified as the Bean decided this would be a great time to imitate a character from Spongebob and yell out "Hey, you old coot!" over and over. McLean has an aging population, and several people might have taken grave offense at the Bean's catch phrase had she been a bit more intelligible. Just to be on the safe side, Mom encouraged her to switch to her second favorite Spongebob quote "Help! Help! Fire on the poop deck!" (scatological humor continues to reign supreme in our house). Not much better, but less likely to personally offend the clientele.

The kids were out like lights by the time we got home, so we are now on day number two with no bath. Practically unheard of in our house, and I am sure there will be repercussions health wise, but the girls are definitely enjoying the extended bath reprieve!