Moms at the Grill

Well, only one of us was actually at the grill this past weekend, but that was our special Mother's Day celebration. Since we and the kids love to hang out at the pool & grill out, we decided this weekend would be as good as any to inaugurate the grilling season. So, we skipped the fancy brunch out in favor of burgers and brats Saturday night and bbq pork chops Sunday noon. It was a blast, as was the rest of the weekend.

Friday night, the boys went over to Crocker Park to hook up with one of Boot's buddies for subs and strolling. I suspect there is a decent amount of girl-watching that goes on, too! J and I went to the grocery, stopping to lie in the grass on the way out. It smelled so fresh and green. It was fun looking at the world from that vantage point & we had fun giggling over how astonished the boys would be if they spotted us. We admired an aqua Thunderbird and decided we're going to get one that color and a pink one when we win the lottery. Those cars have class.

Once home, J flopped on the couch while I cooked up a Chilean-style pork dish, which we had over rice while we watched a t.v. special about faith. When the boys got home, an hour before curfew, Pie joined us for a few minutes. He is drawn to issues of faith, but does not want his brother to know he is thinking so deeply. Poor little guy.

We slept in Saturday, then went with the bitties over to Crocker Park to prowl the farmer's market. We were deeply tempted by eggs and jewelry, pastries and cheeses but only took a sack of cranberry almond granola home. If the lilac lady had not already been sold out, I would definitely have indulged in an armload of those! I have been very tempted to cut some of the blooms from the apartment complex bushes, but I assume that is not the kind of behavior they encourage. While we did the farmer's market, the kids took off in pursuit of shoes and shirts and all the fun to be had away from the parental unit. Boot has developed a tradition of spending some of his odd job money on a new shirt every time he comes to visit. That child simply loves clothes! We grown folks continued on to Trader Joe's and then lunch at Aladdin's, where J had the baba ganoush plate and I had fattoush with grilled chicken on top. Such perfect food!

After our outing, we enjoyed the hot tub while the boys had some downtime at home. Then, it was time to take them shopping for our Mother's Day gifts. Pie had already brought home from school a beautiful African violet for J. Then, we rounded up food, toys and kids for our evening grill-out. Those silly, silly boys actually went in the pool! It was in the 50s and I was freezing, perfectly dry, on a lounge chair in capris, a polo shirt and a hooded sweatshirt! The sun had gone down. I was wishing I had worn my swimsuit just to get in the hot tub and warm up and those sillies were swimming. Well, Boot didn't last long in the water, but Pie sure did. He loved it and says he is a polar bear. I said, "Well, I guess we know what he'll be doing every New Year's Day when he's grown!" He was thrilled to have found something he can beat his brother at.

Boot had given J her gift early so that we could use it right away. He got her a little green cooler for hauling our food back and forth to the pool & grill area, along with a set of green plastic plates. When we got home, the rest of the gifts were exchanged. Boot got me a lavender-scented candle. Pie gave J her violet, which she loved, and presented me with chocolates from a local shop. Flowers & chocolates...smart little boy! J and I exchanged our gifts when we went to bed. She got me some lovely lingerie, a jar of lemon drops I'd been eyeing at Borders and a butterly-shaped rice krispie treat. I gave her a relaxation kit, with banana smoothie bubble bath & the two latest Artemis Fowl books. But, really, the greatest gift we got was a weekend with no blow-ups or tantrums, aside from a brief skirmish between the boys at the pool.

Sunday morning, we let the boys sleep in while we went to church. Then, we ran a few errands. By the time we returned home, both boys were awake and raring to hit the pool again. We spent a longer time down there Sunday, with the air warmed & the sun out. J even got in the pool, but only under duress and with much regret about caving to it. Brr! I hung out in the hot tub and on a lounge chair in the sun, reading "Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral" by Kris Radish. What a great book! I had started it over the winter, then gotten busy and set it aside. I'm so glad I have it to read now. It makes me want to have a traveling funeral, too. We hung out at the pool until it was time for Boot to get ready for his dad to pick him up.

Pie exhausted himself with all the swimming and fresh air. He was asleep within 5 minutes of his brother's departure. We had a quiet evening, with a simple pasta dish for dinner. I made Maytag blue cheese dressing for the salad...man, is that good! I talked on the phone for an hour with my Cuban uncle. His partner got on the phone for a minute or two. He tried to speak to me in English and I to him in Spanish. He did much better than I did! I also phoned my mom & grandies. It's so funny to be able to call my mom on Mother's Day now. I am so glad they finally got a cell phone!