boondocks boulevard: Sunday Morning

We've got Blaze and the Monster Machines playing on the TV while Gavin takes care of eye patch time, and I've thrown in a load of laundry and done some cleaning around this pig sty. But, he's got seven minutes left, and I'm taking full advantage by kicking back with my computer. I think we'll keep it low-key around here. Probably play outside, maybe go for a walk ...(if he'll let me put him in the stroller...he's had a change of heart suddenly when it comes to "stroller rides"). Dylan should be wheels up on his way home from Tucson somewhere around noon, and maybe we'll squeeze in an afternoon of fun. If we feel like it. I usually go nuts around here after a few hours, but I've been more of a homebody than usual lately. Maybe because of my size (huge) and energy level (low)?

Anyway, a re-cap of the last few days. On Thursday I was sure to burn as much gas as possible as I drove from home to Dawn's to downtown Phoenix to SCC to errands/appointments in the North Scottsdale/Grayhawk area back to Dawn's and back home. We sure clock a lot of time in our trusty Venza, and it's beginning to show...especially with the accumulation of old snacks and water spills on the upholstery. Oh well. I guess that's what goes with the territory when you drive a mom-wagon. Not super-sexy, but I suppose not much is during this time of life.

Friday was pretty good, except for that moment after Dylan had taken off for the day and I found myself a block away from home on the dirt road, Gavin was barefoot and throwing a fit while holding onto the handlebars of his balance bike, and I was pulling him home by the bike while also dragging two dogs along and pushing an empty stroller. A series of random events ended us up in this situation, and I'll spare you the details, but it wasn't my finest hour. We made it home, Gavin took a half hour more to tantrum (he has amazing stamina for crying), and I went outside and collected my cool. Then, we went on to have a very fine night. It was pizza with my pals over at Nora's. The kids played happily while we caught up with just a few interruptions along the way. With an entire side yard of trucks and tractors and construction vehicles, Gavin stayed well-occupied and had a great time. Casual fun with old friends...the best kind of fun.

By the time we rendezvoused back at home with Dylan, I was too spent to do the proper preparations for the big garage sale I had planned for Saturday morning. I usually don't wait until the last minute for these kinds of things, but I wasn't going to do a sale without Dylan, and I also wasn't going to go through the trouble of getting my act together if he got a last second weekend trip, which was likely. So, we're back at square A with a garage full of crap and zero funds allotted for finishing up the boys' bunk bed room. I suppose they won't know the difference for a long time, so I'll worry about it later.

And, after all that, the only trip that popped up on the agenda was this early morning Sunday quickie. So, we all spent a nice, relaxing Saturday morning at home instead of selling our junk and went on a family walk around the neighborhood (i.e. raw desert). After Gavin made it clear that he had no intention of napping, we headed south on the 101, as we so frequently do, and went to the Nordstrom garage to park for the Scottsdale Grand Prix. It was full, but we found luck 20 minutes later on our fourth parking attempt over by the Camelview and hoofed it through Fashion Square into old town. It actually worked out well because Gavin caught a few minutes of shut-eye during the rigmarole, which probably saved our night. We caught up with Shawn and Elaine and Luke for the races, and Gavin and Luke had an awesome time playing in the fountain that was most likely not meant for children to play in. It was a really nice afternoon. Next stop was the parent Palmers' house for their annual neighborhood party. Gavin got delirious and ran around chasing balls and hula hoops and playing with his cousins, then we devoured some Dickey's BBQ before packing it in for the night.