An Outing with Two Boys

Ken is traveling for work again, so the boys and I are hanging out. Per Liam's request, we decided to pack a picnic lunch and head to the park. It is GORGEOUS weather--sunny, blue skies and a nice breeze. Liam asked if we could attempt to fly the kites they got for Easter (finally) and I couldn't come up with an excuse why we couldn't. So we packed up and headed to an open space to have lunch and try our maiden kite flights. In case you have never had the privilege of going into a park like setting with the boys, let me explain the "highlights" of such an outing.

After wrestling to get Beanie in his car seat we drive to the park, find a picnic table under the tree and sit down to have lunch. Liam manages to drop half of his sandwich within the first 2 minutes, while simultaneously laying the other half on the dirty-laden picnic table top. Sawyer manages to find a filthy plastic spoon and proceeds to try to put it in his mouth "Poon! Poon!!" Sawyer drops his juice cup in the dirt. Repeat. Liam decides that he suddenly has to poop so we pack up all of our food/cups/kites and hats and walk half way across the park to the one porta-potty. After a stern warning TO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING!" I lay about 50 pieces of toilet paper on the toilet seat and place Liam on top of it, where he decides that no, he really just has to pee. Meanwhile, Sawyer is opening and shutting the door repeatedly and then he quietly disappears (ALWAYS a bad sign) So I get Liam up to let him pee then go out to chase Sawyer down from the rock pile he was scaling. I bring Sawyer back to the potty and open it to see Liam (it still makes me queasy to think about) sitting DIRECTLY on the porta potty toilet seat with his hands clasping the seat for dear life. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!!!!" I yell! "Going POOPY!!!" Liam indignantly yells back. I am forced to then shut the door and lock it to keep Sawyer from escaping while I assist Liam, all the while muttering like a Tourettes patient. There was thankfully Hand Sanitizer which I applied liberally to both boys.

After all the porta-potty fun Liam asks woefully, "Well can we still go fly kites??" I answer "Yes, of course (even though I just wanted to pack it in and call it a day)." I assemble the kites and realize that Liam's kite does not have the kite-string-included! kite string. So I open up Sawyer's kite and borrow the string from it. Liam took off running trying to get the kite airborne while Sawyer went in the total opposite direction to explore a discarded water bottle. The kite never made it off the ground, so I collected Sawyer (who by this point was emptying the contents of the picnic bag all over the grass) and took off running. Liam excitedly yells "You're doing it!" and I feel the kite almost take flight...and then I feel it suddenly get light. I turn back around and see a HUGELY grinning Beanie holding the kite's tail in his hands. Operation Kite Flight: FAIL.

In order to salvage some of the trip I grabbed up all of our stuff and took the boys over to the playground where they played until I was exhausted. Somehow, running 20+ miles never exhausts me as much as an outing with my children can. When it is all said and done and we are back home and Beanie is contained I am grateful for the time spent together. Just maybe NOT the porta potty part...