Oaks Park

Trent, Ethan and I had another adventure tonight.  I met Denise at the day spa to pick up the boys.  She brought them in to Portland with her for her appointment.  We transferred cars, went back to my house to pack a picnic for dinner to eat at the park and then headed out.  The boys were SO silly in the car.  Trent had the giggles, which I loved.  We played DJ, and they each got to pick songs on the iPod.  I try to download new songs I know they like so they have something to listen to.  Right now Trent's favourite song is Bruno Mars: Count on Me.  We met my friend Amber and her kids for a night riding rides.  Trent was more than happy to ride the Tilt-O-Whirl all night if we let him.  We quickly found other rides though.  There was this one ride that were these floating cars and you went REALLY fast in a circle, and then just when you thought they were done with the ride, they would turn you REALLY fast in a circle going backward.  Oh my!  Trent was hilarious the whole ride, but LOVED it!

And then there was THIS ride....DISK'O.  This is Dylan and Ethan riding first.  They were the daredevils of the night and seriously went on everything.  On the Disk'o, you sat in a big circle facing out.  Everyone has their own chair, which of course made me nervous because I just had a feeling this wasn't going to go well with Mister non-daredevil Trent.  I should always trust that intuition.  This thing comes out of the back to keep you in your chair and adjusts to how big or little you need.  It starts going and about 13 seconds into the ride Trent is NOT loving it.  I look over and he's absolutely terrified.  Of course it keeps going faster and faster, and higher and higher and it's all I can do not to just start crying because I feel so bad for the little guy.  I just have to keep telling him to hang on - it's almost over for pretty much the entire ride.  Of course it was like the longest ride in the history of that ride and it felt like it NEVER ENDED.  Poor buddy.  He did not love it.  We were pretty much done for the night after that one.  Good thing it was later in the night anyway, but man...funny, but seriously so sad all at the same time.

Swim. Movie. Tie Dye. Swim

Trent and Ethan came over yesterday.  I picked them up at 11am and we came back to my house, had a little lunch and then wandered over to the Portland East Community Center to swim.  We had so much fun!  Swam for hours!  There were some odd people in the pool area with us. I must admit, it was hard being the "parent".  Some of the people in the pool were challenged.  In T & E's little sheltered world, they don't really see a whole lot of that.  So when we encountered a little girl, who looked like a grown up, but was only squealing and splashing and right on top of us in the lazy river they didn't really know how to react.  We had to have a side-bar conversation about how everyone is different and we should just be glad that she was having fun and getting to enjoy the pool like we were.  She was simply expressing this in a different way.  We then headed back to the house and watched a movie.  We tie-dyed shirts.  We colored some Shrinky Dinks and baked them (they thought this was the most amazing).  We then headed out to a movie in the park. 

The movie started at 9pm!  What kind of group (Portland Parks & Rec) starts an event (that they hope to be successful) for families/kids at 9pm.  We got there at like 7:30 and then it was a lot of waiting around.  I really didn't think it would start so late, so they boys were bored and had to take turns playing games on my iPhone.  IT WAS FREEZING!!!  Seriously the coldest night ever.  They were bundled up in their sweatshirts, and under blankets and still snuggling up to me for the move.  Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked was the film title.  It was cute for a Chipmunks movie.  The music was all pretty current stuff and it was cute to see little girls dancing around to it even in the dark.  My too-cool-for-school little buddies were having none of that.  I did love the snuggling.  The movie ended at nearly 11pm.  We came home, put PJs on/brushed teeth, set them up in the bed in the guest bedroom and read the first chapter of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.  They were out in no time at all. 

In the morning we woke up, Trent put on his Tie-dyed shirt (which turned out SO CUTE, don't you think?).  We all ate some breakfast.  Did a little painting.  Then off to swim again!  I have to say, those boys are getting to be good little swimmers.  Trent still wears his life vest in the water and is a pretty nervous little guy around the water (possibly his one and only non-Harker trait), but he did such a great job.  I was so proud of him.  He really tried hard today to try his real swimming strokes. 

I hope they're as tired as I am today.  Man that was a lot of fun, but seriously exhausting to keep them so busy the whole time they were here.  They're fun little buddies.  Good thing we're hanging out again on Monday!