Days out with Dad

[another gushing parent post]

Roughly quarterly I get the rare opportunity to spend a day with each of my kids. Now, I'm happily married, very entrenched in family, an attachment parent, all that...so it's not like some divorcee visitation program. The day out with dad tradition has been picking up steam for a year or so now, and the guys [and I, myself] really look forward to every adventure.

Jaxson typically hoards all his time w/me, and as is his nature, talks constantly from the time we get in the vehicle until he falls asleep. It's a great running stream of ideas for movies, things he finds funny on television, etc. For our day we went to the mall (it was over 100 out, after all) where he was able to do a tethered bungee trampoline jump, then miniature golf under black lights, then round it out with his favorite food [Subway] and a trip to a unique toy store. Then we attended a meeting for work 50 miles away and back to the west side of town for a movie, Rio.

Carson, who could care less about indoor plumbing, air conditioning, or any other modern conveniences elected to spend his day out at the lake. [Last summer we toured regional lakes, but this summer he wanted to spend his time IN one....as previously stated, it was over 100 degrees out, even on his day.] After 2 hours in the lake, he wanted to fetch his brothers, so we slowed down for some Long John Silvers then fetched the boys and some sand tools, then returned to the lake for another 3 hours of fun.

Edison is only 4, I know, but he's always a hard one to figure out. We ate breakfast at his favorite place [McDonald's] where he was also able to play on the play place. Then we went to Botanica to see the butterfly house and to play on the new children's garden and such. He also wanted to go to do everything his brothers had done. Instead, once on site, he wanted his brothers at the gardens, so we called them in, along with grandma and papa. Altogether a beautiful morning, despite some showers. I forced my hand at lunch [no more McDonald's please!] and pushed the family into a local delight: the Old Mill Tasty Shop which features an old school soda fountain. Eddie loved his milk shake.

Surreal summaries:
Jaxson really does have crazy-good script ideas. I may steal them if he doesn't write them down first. He also amazes me in his ability to befriend people of any race, any background, as he demonstrated on Carson's day, sharing the sand tools and his castle making skills with several kids he'd never encountered before.

Carson delights in such simple pleasures and loves to share with his brothers. He's going to make a great park ranger some day, for the outdoors is his little slice of heaven.

Edison asked me, "Are you going to come here when you're dead?" when we were at the botanical gardens. I said, "I think so, Eddie, I do think so."