Pajama Walk

Inspired today by this post which I could really relate to (as in, "Oh my God, why are they fighting now??" and "Why isn't today a camp day again?!"), I remembered the importance of relaxing and letting the good times roll this summer (my favorite line from the above post: "...I get so worn out by the daily grind that I forget that when you're almost five, the best part of summer is playing board games in your underwear").

So tonight, when it was still only 7 PM and the boys were arguing again and Matt was somehow still away on his business trip, the cool summer night beckoned.

First, I took them out in their jammies. Yep, we threw on some sandals and went down the block to the lake. Just because. I didn't want them to actually go into the lake in their pj's at that hour - it was chilly, after all - so they pretended to swim along the sidewalk. I kid you not. I'd have one of America's Funniest Home Videos if I'd had the foresight to grab the video camera. Foiled again.

Then I suggested popsicles on the front porch. Yeah, so what if it was already past their bedtime and they'd both need a new clean pair of jammies for bed? It's summer!

Baxter looked at me like I had three heads. "But -- we already had dessert!" I countered with, "Well, so, is Double Dessert Night such a bad idea?" He quickly agreed that, indeed, it was not, and suggested in an awed tone that this night was sort of like having Oma and Pops babysit.

I noted that, sometimes, parents like to break all the rules, too. He was happily surprised.

I think we both were.