Thanksgiving is about family, so Shane and I scooted up the mountain to see Patrick and Shelby! Carrie went on her own adventure to visit Sonya and Jeff for the day.
Patrick had to leave for work around 10 AM, so we only hung out an hour or so before we jogged back down the mountain.
Raheem knocked on the door halfway past 11 AM. I was knee deep in laundry and chores, so I told Shane to go out and have fun.
Not that I didn't stay highly aware of what was going on. It was beautiful outside, so I opened several windows, so I could hear what the boys were up to as I worked.
I kept the boys outside for at least an hour or two before they wormed their way back inside. Shane told Rah if he laid down and stayed still Max would rub against his head. He was right.
The boys played Monopoly while I worked on writing and other tidbits. I dislike Monopoly. I wasn't about to join them! I made taquitos for lunch and offered Rah a plate, but he declined.
I did my best to leave the boys to their own devices. I heard the start of multiple arguments and was happy to hear the boys hash things out on their own without any major incidents.
Sam showed up at 3 PM. I'd texted his parents earlier and offered to take him off their hands for a while if they were in town.
Here I did some intervening. Shane instantly latched on to Sam. "He's my age!" (actual quote). I immediately moved to curb any chance Rah would be disregarded. After a little bit, I kicked them all outside.
I don't know who first suggested soccer, but Shane wanted to play him and Sam vs Rah. I made the new rule that it was two on one until someone scored two or three times and then that scorer switched places with whoever was on their own. That kept the rotation fair and everyone included. I worked on trash, recycling, and clearing the porch to keep things kosher.
I forced the boys to stay outside for an hour before I let them go back in. It went amazing for most of the time. Sam started saying, "I'm bored," or "This is boring," after forty minutes or so which I took as code for "What I really want to do is electronics." I suggested he find a way to be happy with where he was instead.
I let the boys have electronics after the hour outside was up. I forget why, but Shane said something on the porch I didn't like as we went in. It may have been bossy, rude, or entitled, but I can't tell you what. My reply was that the boys could do video games, but Shane couldn't have a turn until everybody else had theirs first. He could help his friends ("like a general"), but he was barred from touching the mouse.
They played Plants vs Zombies. Rah took the first turn.
Sam was amazed at how I can link the TV to display what's on the laptop.
Everyone got a turn over the next hour. Shane's was only about 10 minutes, but it went well enough! I knew Sam's dad was due in a little bit, so I wanted to wean them off the electronics. Rah and Shane started building with Legos while Sam read a Garfield.
Sam left and Rah hung out until 5:40ish PM when it was dark out. He had Thanksgiving plans, so I was glad we got a chance to see him. Carrie didn't get back from her adventures until later in the evening, so I was thankful Shane had the chance to be social and I had the chance to pick up!
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