We've been to NOVA multiple times this summer, but I hadn't had a chance to catch up with Matt G until now! He'd been moving into a new condo and in Ireland the first half of the summer.
Shane and I toured his new condo. I was shocked to see a pair of Guinea Pigs.
"That's a story," Matt said. "It went up to 8 at one time, because we were sold two girls and one wasn't a girl!"
Matt and I carried down some food to grill and talk shortly after we arrived.
Matt's daughter's are amazing with Shane, so I didn't think twice about leaving him behind. The girls would command at least $10/hour for babysitting if they lived closer. If I could get them both for a combined $15/hr, Carrie and I would probably have date nights at least twice a month!
Besides, I knew they were going to do Minecraft. Shane remembered them "teaching him how to play" last time and was excited to try it again. He also remembers them playing a tornado game once at our house in Chantilly. We've known them for a long time even if we don't see them often.
We ate and headed to the pool afterward.
Funny note that reminded me of Megan and Kathleen: Sophia and Gabriela told Shane that the fountain was the pool. I think he believed it for a moment! "HEY! That's not funny!" he yelled.
Instead, we stayed almost two hours. The kids swam around, played tag, Marco Polo, and jumped in the hot tub. Matt and I even cannon-balled in at one point.
Shane and I hung out with Matt G and company for five and a half hours before we headed out!
Matt G lives out west. I'd forgotten about Friday traffic when we left at 6 PM, but thankfully we were headed the opposite way of most people. We beat John to CFA.
There was an older gentleman playing the harmonica in the kid's area. I kept hearing it as John and I talked.
Shane went wild and played for an hour and a half. When I checked in on him, another parent complimented him on how he was playing with all the other kids! That's my boy!
I was a little worried we were running too late for there to be a person at the front desk at Jama's. Thankfully, we weren't.
There was a concert going on. Shane and I arrived at, "You Are My Sunshine."
"I used to sing that to you and to your mom all the time," I said.
We spotted Jama and Ed in attendance, so we waited to greet them.
We went up to Jama's to talk and get ready for bed. Shane was so pumped from the day he must have hummed in bed for twenty minutes before the music finally stopped.
The next morning, we went up to Jama and Ed's. I'd told Shane about a muffin shop I wanted to go by to get muffins on the way to Megan's.
Jama had other plans and cooked us breakfast. Shane was disappointed, but I straightened him out. "It's how she's showing she loves us. I love Jama more than getting a muffin for breakfast, so we're eating here."
Shane complained a little bit about the biscuits, but I straightened him out. "It's about priorities kid. Love comes first over getting your own way."
We hung out and talked for a while before I went down to pack up our stuff. I was so focused on keeping Shane from making a ruckus I forgot our toothbrushes on the first go. We had to go back for them. "Haste makes mistakes," I said. "Doesn't matter how old you are! I forgot stuff from being in a rush!" (Side note: I think it's important for kids to see adults admit when they goof.)
Shane and I ran over to see this little guy, Wolfie (or "Sammy the Woof" as B sometimes calls him!).
We got a chance to meet B's friends next door shortly after arriving.
Shane immediately showed off his climbing skills.
The kids next door were heading out or it would have been a big, play party.
B wrote Shane a valentine before we arrived. B had realized he'd 'forgotten to' early in the year!
Megan clearly helped with the writing. "[B] wanted to put 'You're great at balancing and almost as good as me,' but she shortened it down a little! Ha ha!
The boys ran all over together. We'd hoped they'd run and say hi to the man who had a trampoline in his yard, but they missed the opportunity. Megan said she heard he had daughters, so she wanted to meet the family but hadn't had an opportunity.
The boys ran back forth and all over together. The cousins all get along really well.
B and Shane kept getting 'trapped' and calling to Megan for 'help.' I came downstairs once and they were sitting between a Megazord and a dinosaur.
And yes, they got some electronics time. It makes it far easier to talk.
Wolfie is an extremely laid back baby. He slept on and off most of the time we visited. He occasionally grunted and wanted someone to bounce him. It was easy enough to oblige. I 'watched' him while Megan and Big B did some cooking.
Shane and I left right before nap time. B was getting weepy, so the timing was right.
We drove over to the library to meet John for his lunch break.
John's been going through a lot of stress lately and he's unhappy with his job, so I like to check in whenever possible. Besides, the guy is a brother-from-another-mother for life. Friends like that don't grow on trees.
I feel like we've spent half of our summer in a car and away from home. I like the adventure, but wouldn't mind if the car travel had magically been cut down some! Shane's gotten to be a great traveler, so it's not bad. He's more likely to listen to a book than he is to slow down and read one, so we get our literature time in between tunes!
