Saturday in the Park

After a fun filled afternoon with Aidan at yet another pre-Ker's birthday party (pirate theme! buried treasure! million dollar home! gigantic private playground - bigger than the one at the public park we go to! putting green! inground pool! pool house! gigantic water slide! and personalized m&ms to cap it all off! Have I mentioned how much I hate kiddie birthday parties?), Chris and I took our kiddies to Canal Park.

We dined on lots of fun food at Mississippi Mudds with drippy ice creams for dessert. We walked along the banks of the Niagara River and watched the boys go wild over the boats, ducks, and water. It was a perfect summer afternoon.

So perfect that none of us wanted to go home, even the adults. We missed the sweet spot of early evening contentment and found ourselves smack dab in the danger zone of missed bedtimes. By the time we headed home it was well past Griffin's 7 pm bedtime and he was enthusiastically howling in protest. Aidan and Brennan started in on each other, griping about space and foot placement and ownership of a variety of star wars guys. Finally, in frustration, I turned around and yelled,

"That's it! Stop the yelling and fighting RIGHT NOW or I will have your father STOP this car and make you all get out. Do you understand?" Two heads bobbed in unison as they stared back at me with wide freaked out eyes.

When I turned around, Chris's shoulders were shaking in silent laughter. He glanced at me and was laughing too hard to speak. I started laughing so hard tears streamed down my face. I turned and whispered to him, "Did I just threaten to abandon our children on the highway?" He nodded and we both laughed harder.

At least the kiddies were quiet, imagining a life walking on the I-90 trying to find home after their loony mother forced them out of the family SUV. A year of therapy for that one at least.