Me & My Boys

I took the boys to the gym this morning. Tyler was so excited to go there with Vincent. The were one of the few kids there this morning, but certainly not the calmest. Our all-time favorite caretaker, Nicole, has recently left. She's gone to the Bellevue location as it works better for her schedule. I'm so bummed. She and I were pregnant together 4 years ago. She's a wonderful lady. She's been replaced with a gal named, Laura. She's alright, but today was our first day meeting her. We'll see. She's not as warm as Nicole, but seems nice enough.

After the gym, I decided to fatten us all up with lunch at Lunchbox Laboratory. David met us there. It was our first time ever going there. The place has been around a few years now, but truthfully, I've been a bit hesitant to eat there because they're known for some crazy burgers...and messy. I like a good, basic cheeseburger. Sometimes with mushrooms, sometimes with bacon, but mostly just cheese, ketchup, maybe a pickle...lettuce and tomato make it on my burger sometimes, too. David ordered their most standard, but even that was more than I wanted. So, I built my own: bun, meat, sauteed onions. I went out on a limb with those onions, and skipped cheese. I felt like I should still be able to get a good sense of what their basic burger's like with this combination. 

It was okay. The sauteed onions were flavorless. The meat was dry. The bun was very nice, though. They do have some yummy skinny fries and tater tots. I also ordered truffled mayo on the side. That was okay, too. Quinn's burger is still my top burger in Seattle. And, by mid-afternoon, I had some pretty bad heartburn.

After I got over my heartburn and the kids had rested a bit, I needed to give boys something to do. Vincent didn't want to go out. (Oh, by the way, Vincent woke Tyler from his nap. Amazingly, Tyler didn't make a fuss like he normally does for me or David.) I decided that they needed to get outside a little, or I suggested Tyler put on his jacket and shoes and play in the sandbox. He loved the idea!

It didn't take long for Vincent to decide he wanted to join him. Thank goodness. They made a bit of a mess, but were happy. After a while, they decided to run around the yard a bit. Even better! It didn't last too long, but all this allowed me to get some of dinner made. 

They both came bustling in when they were done, complaining about being wet and dirty. This called for a bath! I drew them a bubble bath, gave them each these plastic margarita shakers I got from Chili's years ago (and never used) when I used to work there, and let them play. They were, again, so happy together. I loved it.

When they were done, I was still working on dinner, so I put a movie on for them. Toy Story. Funny thing is that I did all this because I needed to keep them busy so I could make dinner. But, to them, I might have been pretty nice today. Or, at least, I like to think that they're thinking that of me.

Tonight's dinner was chicken Marsala and butternut squash risotto. Yum, and yum.

 

The boys didn't finish the movie earlier, so we let them watch the rest after dinner. Immediately, Tyler shouts, "Okay! I'll help make the popcorn!" Okay, then.