Blurring The Lines Of Our Routine - Part IV

Dinners and Early Evening Birthday Parties

One of the many reasons I adore my sister-in-law is because she actually makes me look like a lazy ass who flies by the seat of my pants. Case in point: we received a save-the-date for my nephew’s second birthday party more than two months in advance. The initial email didn’t provide any details beyond the date of the party, and looking back, that was a good thing, because I might have decided we’d bag the trip altogether: the party was going to be from 5:00 – 7:00. And we’re the only family on both sides whose kids go to sleep before 8:00.

But we didn’t know about the time until two weeks before the party, and by then, we were well into pushing boundaries.

The evening we arrived in San Antonio, we joined my siblings’ family’s and my mom for dinner at Bigz Burger Joint. Though I prefer the burgers from Chester’s Hamburger, Bigz has an outdoor patio surrounded by a large fenced-in area where kids can run around. If you get there early enough (5:30), you can snag a porch-front table and leisurely eat and drink while the kids play.

By the time we got back to my mom’s house, it was nearly 8:00. EIGHT!

The next morning, we met my dad at a nearby park for swinging, climbing, and a snack. Just before left to go home for lunch and a nap, Mateo got on my dad’s Harley.

And boy did those well-groomed suburban mom’s clutch their Gymboree clad tots when that sucker fired up.

Saturday’s party was at a place called Pure Fun, and was it! Three rooms of bounce houses, slides, and toys for all the children to play in, and though Jennifer and I were passing ships among the rooms, it was fun and, dare I say, relaxing.

The owner didn’t kick us out until around 7:30 and Mateo and Harper were no worse for the wear. Mateo because he’s always been a bit more flexible with bedtime. Harper, no doubt in part due to the fact that her dinner consisted solely of two cupcakes. Wanna know what that looks like? See her face in the photo above or watch this video clip.

The ride home was wrapped in contentment that looked like this:

There was so much going on that weekend, I'll have to continue tomorrow…