Babysitting Thursday

Our day was overcast and gloomy with scattered showers all day long. We stayed in our pajamas today. We also had friends over! We warned them that it was a gloomy pajama day but they decided to come anyway.

While we ate our dinner sunshine magically appeared through the windows. It was warm and inviting. We pulled on our new bug boots and hurried through the door to shake out some wiggles in the wonderfully, warm sunshine.

I followed Hugo and Parker throughout their journeys in the yard. We weren't outside more than an hour and yet they were here, there, and everywhere all at once. They played together well for awhile. Hugo tried to show Parker some of his favorite things but Parker had his own ideas of what to do. Hugo did a lot of following. I encouraged as many races as I could. "Run, run as fast as you can!" I would shout after them.

Then Hugo decided he was done following for a moment. He was distracted by these clay pipes. One of his favorite things to do outside is to fill the clay pipes with treasures he finds in the yard. Parker wasn't interested.


Hugo went in search of Parker. "Run, run, run! Faster and faster!" I encouraged.


After a bit I realized that I needed help entertaining Parker and Hugo so I enlisted help from our canine neighbor Layla. She was more than willing to play with the boys. We threw sticks for her to catch. We watched her roll about on her back in the wet grass and shake her legs in the air. Everyone got kisses. All was looking nice and calm and I was feeling pretty great about myself and then . . . Layla ran through the brush into the neighbors yard, Parker ran to the front of the house, and Hugo took off for the woods. I went a little nuts. Where and to whom should I run first? To my flesh and blood naturally but Parker's parents had trusted me with his care and I had borrowed Layla from her owner who was on the telephone and had only waved at me as I pulled the dog out the door! Thank heavens it all worked out fine.

We made a pit stop at the Turtle Habitat. Hugo calls him "tuttle"and grabs everyone by the hand who stops by for a visit to lead them over to see his "tuttle". I thought for a brief moment about how cruel it was of me to subject the poor turtle to the two little boys and a curious chocolate lab but I needed a break. We had been doing a lot of running and I was very tired.

I decided it was quitsville for the yard play. We walked Layla home baiting her with the treat word. Hugo through a huge fit once Layla was pushed back inside and he realized that he was not to follow. He loves to feed Layla her treats. The little stinker also knows exactly where the cutest mini juice boxes and baggies of animal crackers are kept in the kitchen just for him. Sherry spoils him rotten. Soooo, I carried him kicking and screaming back to our house. We decided to watch the movie that Parker brought to share, Cars. Hugo hadn't seen it before and all sadness was forgotten at the site of an entire movie dedicated to cars.