This weekend we had another "uncle" come and stay with us for a few days. Our very close friend came in from Salt Lake City to finally meet Elliot and just catch up with Carl and I. Carl and Justin have known each other since middle school and Justin and I went to college together. Basically Justin is the reason why we even have a Erik and Elliot.
It was an interesting experience sharing my children with someone who has been so close to me for so long, but has never seen me parent. Although I have seen him without kids in the last 2 years, the last time he saw me as a mom was when Erik was 6 weeks old so I barely touched the surface then. I have to admit that I was a little shy and embarrassed to be a mom in front of him because I am such a different person now. Justin gets it though and quickly adapted to our new lifestyle of babies first and even got Erik to finally play with him and miss him by the end of the trip.
Since my kids have been sick and they go a little stir crazy if we are home too much, our day with Uncle Justin was a series of adventures. The first night we all went out the dinner and I forgot to take pictures. I am sure he doesn't want to relive dinner with two toddler anytime soon. Especially, hyper, hard to control, Erik.
The next morning we were a little slow to get moving because of course we all drank a little too much and stayed up a little too late. It is unavoidable with old friends. Once we got our act together we actually loaded everyone up in Carl's van and headed over to Griffith Observatory. This was Elliot's very first trip in a car that wasn't mine and he was a little confused and upset, but adapted. I have been avoiding riding in this thing and pushing a 3-row car, but I have to admit that it wasn't too bad and we all fit very comfortable in Carl's fan. I guess I don't mind as long as I don't have to drive it.
So I decided late last week that I really needed a new stroller. It started off that I wanted a double jogging stroller to push up and down our hill much more easily, but we needed to kill 20 minutes one day on the other side of Burbank and headed to USA Baby to test drive double strollers. I instantly fell in love with the Joovy Ultralight Caboose and HAD to get it. Remember, I am gadget obsessed. I justified it because I am selling my old double stroller which will pay for half of my new one. Somehow the logic sounds better in my head. I knew this weekend we would probably walk a lot with Uncle Justin and decided to use my Amazon Prime $3.99 one-day shipping to get it here Saturday. I am so glad I spent that $4, because we definitely used it all weekend and I LOVE this thing. Erik is still having issues with the freedom and constantly sitting and standing and dragging his feet so once we work through that, this stroller will definitely be the perfection solution for the next couple years.
There were a lot of people at the observatory that afternoon so parking was tough and we had a long hike to the top. I didn't mind too much because we needed the exercise and hey, I had my brand new stroller to make it easier. Uncle Justin said he would give us a break and push it up the hill. Thanks Uncle Justin!
Here are all the boys at the top of the hill. I didn't realize until I wrote that down that I was the only girl on this entire trip. That somehow is so fitting, especially when spending the day with Justin.
Going to Griffith is so different with kids. Justin kept politely asking if we could see a planetarium show and Carl and I knew since we left so late, the kids would just go crazy and fuss the entire time so we just ran around, looked at a couple exhibits and left. When you have kids that is always what happens. You chase the kid, look at a few things and then leave. I never really enjoy the exhibits myself anymore, but I do like watching Erik explore and discover new things. On this particular trip he learned about telescopes and was fascinated with looking through them everywhere.
While Erik ran all over the place, Elliot calmly sat in his stroller and took it all in. Well he probably would have done that if he wasn't teething, instead he looked like this, so I had to bust out the ergo and the only way he was happy was riding on my back.
Here are a few more pictures from the observatory, Erik even had his only little viewing hole to look at the city. A perfect morning and fun outing for the parents, not sure how Uncle Justin felt about missing so much when you have to watch the kids.
We got home and while Elliot napped the boys watched a movie and rested, I went shopping. When Elliot woke up we had a few hours to kill before dinner so Uncle Justin suggested we head to the park and play frisbee. Of course we totally forgot the frisbee, but I have been meaning to go to the park with Carl. Elliot has been doing this new crazy thing on the slide I wanted to capture on film, but I needed him there to make sure Elliot was safe. Basically Elliot now climbs the steps of the play gym, crawls to the slide and goes down head first. He is really good at it and does it over and over and over. He has probably done it about 50 times by now. When we were there another mom totally freaked out when she first saw, but quickly calmed when she saw his talents.
And of course what Elliot does and we recognize Erik has to do too, so here is Erik going down the slide looking for the same praise.
It was a fun time at the park with lots of swings and chase. Each of the boys got some bonding time while I took pictures and bonded as well.
It was a fantastic visit and by the end of the trip I was feeling less self conscious of being a parent in front of my old friend and more like my new self. The visit did have one affect on me. I have been missing my close friends who have moved out of California like crazy and wishing I could spend more time and see them more. These people are like family and we might not talk everyday, but they are always a part of my life and experiences. Although I appreciate and love my new friendships I have made along the way to parenthood it definitely makes me value and cherish those friendships that grew with me along the way. I wish we could invent a teleporter so I could just be with my friends whenever I wanted instead of having to take a plane to get there.
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