A Final Visit to a Friend

I took Shane to visit Daniel Thursday night. We've missed Daniel's family! Nana and Pop got to pack in peace.

It was a beautiful day. The boys discovered how much fun a hammock is with a friend.

We moved the hammock out to the middle of the yard in the shade after the initial discovery. The boys spent the next half an hour clamoring up and flipping over. The boys were at cross-purposes. Shane wanted to climb up. Daniel wanted to flip. Both boys learned quickly to hang on! Each had a harder than expected fall at different times. Daniel first, then Shane. Daniel charged back in; Shane decided he was done.

We moved to the front yard next. The boys played separately until Shane dragged out a stick three times his size. That lead to an arms race.

Jessica and I tried to coach them. "Hit them high!" "Keep the sticks up high!" "Only hit the other sticks!" The boys played sticks until the inevitable injury. The sticks got tangled. Daniel saw something and turned around. A branch scraped my Shane's nose. "That's the price of playing with sticks!" He didn't want to play with sticks anymore. Jessica and I were relieved. We'd seen enough close calls and prevented a few accidents already.

Baby Eleanor sat on the sidelines. She enjoyed the little boy show.

They enjoyed her, as well.

We went in for dinner and air-conditioned play. The boys ate and played really well together. I enjoyed listening to them go at it. Normally, I try to stay out of the room. I want the boys to play and work out their differences between themselves. I feel that if I'm in the room they try to appeal to a higher authority instead of learning how to get along. Little kids need other little kids. I'd love to be in there and play with them, but it's not the same learning experience.

We left right before Daniel's bedtime at 7:30 PM. I took a picture and did a slow drive-bye of our old house.

I saw the new owner out front, but I didn't say anything. I wasn't sure what to say. Jessica said they already cut an opening into the kitchen from the living room by the pantry. Sounded brilliant. The father must be pretty handy. He complimented Carrie's work and what we'd done, too.

Thursday night felt like a final wrapping up of a chapter passed.