QT with my boys

Hadley's not the only one, we love spending time with. Those boys of ours are pretty awesome too!

Here's a glimpse of some of the QT we've had with our oldest one over the past three months:

1. Of all of our kids, I think the stress of everyone being sick, Daddy traveling, and having our schedules switched hit Caleb the hardest. For that reason, he was the first one I really tried prioritize time with, knowing that quality time is his love language and that he needed a some extra lovin'.

When I offered to take him out to dinner one night, thinking we'd get a quick bite to eat somewhere in town, I was caught off guard when he said, "Golden Corral." Since this particular restaurant is in Winchester, a half hour to forty-five minute drive from where we live, I tried to talk him into something else, but every time we talked about it he started getting emotional - not throwing a fit just feeling anxious that I might refuse the request. Since the goal was to relieve some of the stress and not cause more, after a brief convo with Dave, we decided to make the trip.

As we pulled in to the parking lot, he was dismayed again. From the back seat, I heard a confused, uneasy voice remark something like, "This isn't it; this isn't where I wanted to go."

My poor boy had wanted to go to a restaurant an hour from our house (the other direction) called Wood Grille that we went to when Courtney was in college. (How could he even remember that far back? He was only two!) It was his dream location because they had a chocolate fountain. That's where the confusion began! When he'd mentioned the fountain to his daddy one night, Dave had told him it was Golden Corral not knowing that we'd been to the other place. Needless to say, that's where the lines got crossed and here we were. I'd driven all the way to Winchester and it wasn't the restaurant his little heart had hoped for.

Though I hated that it wasn't where he really wanted to go. There was no way I was driving an hour and a half that night to go to another restaurant, so I coaxed him out of the car. Once he was inside though, we really had a great time together and the mix up was pretty much forgotten for the time being.

I enjoyed my dinner conversation with this boy and an older couple sitting nearby even complimented us on what good little fella he was.

Even if it wasn't the one he'd envisioned, at least they did have a chocolate fountain...and cotton candy. While I am usually so careful with limiting sweets, that night I didn't want another disappointment. That was the whole reason he wanted to come so how could I look into those eyes and tell him to pick just one? Mommy's not usually such a softie, but on that special day she made an exception.

When we stopped by a store afterwards to spend some Carter's Cash I had, the sugar crash ended up in a meltdown though when he had to choose between two different bathing suits. I should have known better I guess and gone straight home, but once we got back in the car things settled again and all was much better.

While that first outing was a bit of a mess, over the next couple months, we started seeing all the stress and emotional reactions begin to relax and our boy was getting back to his normal loveable self, thanks mainly to prayer and in part to more quality time opportunities with us. 

2. While I probably have gotten more outings with Hadley, Caleb and Daddy have been really good buddies lately. Their first fun day this year was to see Big Hero 6 back in in January. It's a little hard for the others to sit all the way through a movie quietly, so going to the theater as a family isn't really an option right now. However, it was a great spot for these fellas as they took in a Saturday matinee.

Since the movie was in Winchester, guess where Caleb requested to go for lunch. Yep, back to Golden Corral they went. I guess he was pretty satisfied with it after all. :)

3. When Hadley was spending the night with NaNa one evening, the boys and I went out for supper together and afterwards Dave took his big boy to a high school basketball game. He's been wanting to take Caleb to some sporting events lately to get him interested and it was a good opportunity.

Caleb wasn't sure he really wanted to go at first and kept going back and forth about it...until Mommy told him they'd have popcorn. Since his heart is in his stomach like most men's, that's all it took to convince him to try it. Once they were there, Dave said he wasn't all that interested in the game but sure was happy about the popcorn. Too funny!

4. Another day in February, Caleb and Dave spent the morning just bonding at home building with Legos. Hadley and I had gone to Anabella's birthday party and Reid was taking his morning nap, so it was the perfect chance for these two engineers to put their heads together. It is hard for Caleb to really get out these treasured building tools too often because with other other kids around we are worried someone will eat one or knock down his creation. Sometimes a big brother needs a little space to himself!

They built a pretty awesome castle I hear, but Caleb wanted to knock it down before I got home.

5. Their next February outing was to the Skyline Caverns. I've been several times having grown up in the area but was the only one in our family who'd seen them.. I knew Dave had mentioned wanting to check it out and thought Caleb would enjoy it too, so we penciled it in on the calendar.

From the gift store to exploring the rock formations in the cave, these two spelunkers were not disappointed.

And, it was only fitting to follow such an outing with a trip to one of our favorite fast food spots in town - Spelunkers. 

6. The following weekend, the boys tried out the Luray Reptile Zoo. If you know me, you know that I have a phobia of snakes so a reptile zoo is not the place for Caleb to take Mommy. And, since Hadley is afraid of worms, I doubted she'd care much for it either. (When given the choice between going to see snakes or spending the day with NaNa, is there any doubt what she chose?) Reid's still a bit too young to care much either, so we decided it would just be a Caleb/Daddy bonding day.

After dropping the little ones at my mom's (I was consignment shopping with Stacey that day...Woohoo!), the fellas headed down 340, stopping at a Mexican restaurant for lunch before hitting their final destination. Just as we'd hoped, Caleb dug the snakes as well as the rest of the animals. First, they checked out the reptiles - lizards, alligators, turtles, etc. 

Dave read some of the info off the plaques so Caleb could learn a little about each creature, including several facts that they reported about back to Mommy when they returned. The first room was pretty interesting, but in the second, Caleb got a bit more nervous as the snakes got bigger. Afterwards, they got a chance to look at some of the "non-reptile" animals too, like a tiger, peacock, and monkeys. Outside there was even a petting zoo. Caleb got especially tickled about all the animals crowding him to try to get some food. 

Sadly, Dave forgot the camera that I put in the car so Mommy didn't get any pictures of this fun. (What were you thinking, Daddy?!?!) But at least the two of them will have good photos in their memories.

7. This past weekend, Caleb and I went for a lunch date at Applebees. Just like our Golden Corral adventure, this outing had it's own share of mix ups. He's been telling me he wanted to try out this new Italian restaurant we drive by frequently so that was my plan for the day, but right as we were leaving he asked Dave if he thought we could go to Panda Express instead. I could tell from his convo that he was thinking about the one in the Winchester mall instead of the restaurant in town, but he was adamant that it was the one here so we went. As soon as we got inside he was confused as to where all the stores were. LOL!

My fickle fella decided at that point that he'd just assume go to Applebees instead, which suited me just fine because I wasn't in the mood for Chinese anyway.

We played tic-tac-toe while we waited on our food. He was excited to win but he was still happy even when Mommy won one time.

Look at that pencil grip! I was excited to notice he's making some progress - no reminder needed!

They didn't have hot dogs on the menu like he hoped, but he scarfed that corn dog down as a more than suitable substitute. :)

As it was getting close to time to go, Caleb commented sweetly that he didn't want to go home quite yet; he wanted a little more special time with Mommy. His initial idea was maybe to go to the park together for a bit, but since it was close to nap time and things were still pretty muddy from the leftover snow, I talked him in to just playing outside at our house. Even there we didn't stay out long due to the mud and that I could tell he was really starting to need a nap, but we did get a little more time together just me and my boy.

He went right for the mud, of course!

Caleb loves this acorn tree. He loves to collect the tops after the squirrels have eaten the nuts and bury them in the dirt. 

8. NaNa has had several special afternoons with her eldest grandson as well. Sometimes when I have something else going on or am not feeling well, she'll pick Caleb up from school for me and they'll get a little extra quality time together. Typically it starts with a smoothie or milkshake from Spelunkers and then who knows what. Sometimes they go in a store or two and other thimes they play toys or watch a bit of TV at her house. Whatever they find themselves up to though, they have a blast together. Both of them are crazy about each other.

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So, what about that little Reid? We don't leave him out of course. Dave and I haven't started taking him out for solo outings yet, but we do have quite a few opportunities throughout the week when we get our one-on-one time with him.

For example, each Sunday afternoon, I take the older two kids to Awanas and hang out. Meanwhile, Reid and Daddy get an hour and a half together. Usually playing toys and watching PBS documentaries, it is time reserved just for them. Nobody else to worry about stealing away Daddy's attention and a little break for Dave to just enjoy his quickly growing toddler.

I usually get my time with my baby boy in the early mornings since he is often an early riser. While Hadley gets up fairly early too and even beats him out of bed some days, there are quite a few times when Reid and I get to start the day together. Sometimes we play toys and others we watch Elmo or he sits on my lap and nurses getting his hands and feet tangled up in my hair as he soothes himself and we both enjoy the cuddles.

Nap times also provide opportunities for just the two of us. While I try to keep everyone's schedules somewhat overlapping so that I can get something done around the house and/or have a little break, frequently Reid is awake at least part of the time while his siblings are sleeping since he is still on a two nap schedule. I am not always good about giving him my full attention; sometimes I'm cleaning up from lunch or trying to get some laundry done while he plays. Other days though, we have our special time. Today, for example, we read some books together snuggled in Dave's old blue recliner, and a few days ago we even got to go outside for quite a while and play (thanks to the video baby monitor that helped me keep an eye on the two snoozers still tucked in their beds). It was so cute to watch as Reid, who was just an infant the last time it was really warm enough to play on the porch, explored and babbled about it all - interested and curious.

Reid and Mommy even got a whole evening together no long ago. Hadley had gone to NaNa's to spend the night and Dave took Caleb to a b-ball game after supper, so the little man and I spent our evening playing in the living room. The house seemed so much stiller when it was just the two of us, and it was fun to make myself take a break from my to-do list and just play with my baby. It was one of the first times I remember him trying to communicate to me that he wanted certain toys off the top shelves. Glad I slowed down to listen that night and took in that sweet opportunity with him. :)

Caleb never paid a whole lot of attention to these classic toys but Reid really likes them and motions/grunts for me to get them down for him.

Checking out an issue of Ranger Rick

Having Mommy-and-me outings with Hadley has provided opportunities for the brothers to get a few quality time moments too. One night in particular when we were out shopping, these boys and their daddy did a little living room camping, having a blast crawling in and out of their tent and playing with lanterns.

Hadley gets along well with both of her brothers and Reid loves Caleb, but Caleb isn't too interested in Reid much at this point in their lives. Usually he's more apt to choose Hadley as a playmate since Reid is hard to communicate with still and knocks over what they're playing with half the time. Having both boys by themselves though has had a positive influence on their relationship I think, especially when Caleb gets a chance without Hadley in the picture to see how fun and silly Baby Reid can be.

I don't think there's a single person in our household who hasn't benefited from our special days together. Dave and I need those moments to soak in our kids just as much as they need our undivided attention, and I'm glad so far this year we've been finding ways to slide in quite a few. That said, hate to run, but I guess it's time to go pencil in a few more on the calendar! :)