In partiulcar, we love watching Carson play with her cousins, Patrick and Madelyn. And incidentally, this is one of her favorite things to do as well.
Recently, the kids have had a few opportunities for spend-the-nights with each other. It gives the little ones a chance to play together, and it gives each set of parents a chance to relax or get things done or maybe even have a date night.
A few weekends ago, we had Patrick and Maddy come over for a Saturday and then spend the night. Here are some of the things we did:
color/paint
go see a puppet show at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta & walk around the museum
waiting for the show to start this pic is a miracle. the kids had a hard time focusing, knowing who was behind them!
make alien puppets
take naps (all 5 of us!)
play outside and inside
dinner and bath
build a huge fort in the den (Brandon had basically been working on blueprints for this fort for weeks leading up to the weekend. I have to admit, it was the best-constructed fort I've ever seen)
sleep in the fort!
hard to tell, but this is all 3 kids passed out
And finally, of course, all 3 kids have a total meltdown the exact moment that Toby and Angie arrive to pick up their children :) But we're pretty sure it was a combo of exhaustion and lots of fun. Here are Patrick and Maddy about 5 minutes after pulling out of our driveway:
Seriously though, the three cousins got along great, followed directions perfectly, and laughed a ridiculous amount. Patrick is so inquisitive and such an amazing role model for the girls. He handles their hero-worship very well :) And Maddy is just plain intense. She's full-force, whatever she's doing--whether it's playing, sleeping, or hugging, Maddy's entire heart is in it.
Another interesting thing that happened was that each of them carved out a little quiet time at some point during the weekend. It was like each one of them needed a little break and some time to themselves, although for each kid it was at a different time. Patrick's was shortly after they arrived on Saturday. Like Carson, he takes a few minutes to warm up to a situation. So he played with blocks quietly on his own for a bit while he got comfortable with being at our place. Carson's was in the afternoon while we were all in the play room. She decided she wanted to play quietly in her room for a few minutes. Considering she's used to always being the only kid at her house, the need for some alone time was understandable. And Maddy's was shortly before bedtime. She sat and read books on her own for a good 15 minutes while we wound down before bed.
Anyway, we can't wait to do it again soon! Thank you Toby & Angie, for loaning us your magical, brilliant, hilarious, and caring children for the day. We love how good they are for Carson and for us. :)
