Sleepover!

With summer in full swing, we’re enjoying being able to spend longer periods of time with friends, both out and about and at home. Last Friday afternoon we joined friends Ben, Gabe, and Maddie for our first beach outing of the summer. And what an oasis the water was given the sultry days of summer that are already upon us!

The kids dug in the sand, dusted off their swimming strokes, captured minnows, and escaped from the jellyfish already lurking in the still-cool ocean waters. Ben shared the latest on Nancy’s travels, and I finished reading a favorite book. Waves lulling our minds and sun warming our skin, it was one of those afternoons when you lose all track of time.

That was just the beginning – Gabe and Maddie joined us for the ride home, where we devoured pizza in front of Charlie & Lola videos on a picnic blanket in the basement (the very definition of a Pizza Party at our house). Then the kids somehow convinced me to let them bike instead of ride to Cows & Cones. A word of caution – you just might want to think twice before accompanying four children, three under the age of five, on a bike ride that includes even small hills. But we pulled it off and made it safely to our destination, where we enjoyed the likes of brownie dough, coconut, chocolate, vanilla, and (ugh) cotton candy ice cream. A visit to Farmer Pete's animals brought the startling appearance of two red foxes and the discovery of an empty pig pen.

We’ve tried a couple of approaches with sleepovers at our house – sometimes we try to get the kids to bed around the usual time and put up with all kinds of shenanigans till they finally drop off. Maybe because they were playing so well together and I was on my own while Chad attended youth conference in Palmyra, I decided to take the other route and let them go for an extra couple of hours. I neglected to factor in a certain young lady who rises with the sun regardless of bedtime – lesson learned!

After many TV cartoons and much Lego construction the next morning, the fun came to an end. Does this only happen at our house, or does anyone else’s kids launch into “I never get to play with anyone!” an hour after such an adventure?