Great City, Great Kids

After Jackson's field trip, I made an impromptu decision to spend the afternoon with the kids uptown. There were so many reasons not to go (no nap for trio, no lunch, trio needed diaper changes, hard to find parking, only 48 degrees). However, we had such a great time! Not one tear was shed and everyone remained in good spirits (with the exception of a few minutes of crankiness from James).

 

My online triplet group participates in a "Photo Friday" with a different theme every week. This week we are supposed to post a "hometown video". I recorded a minute of the kids jumping and playing on the digital bells, since this is one of my favorite views of Charlotte.

 

Maddie was skeptical about the fountains. Thankfully the kids avoided the water.

Unlike summer days, the park was desolate of any children. Business men and women passed by on lunch breaks, but the kids ran about freely. We would have stayed longer if Jackson had not declared that he needed to poop. Thankfully the 7-Eleven across the street has public restrooms.

After playing in the park, we had lunch (cheese, ham, and crackers) outside Wells Fargo. Jackson kept pointing up telling me to look at this and that (tall buildings, signs, lights, wreaths, etc).

James realized he was tired at this point and laid down on the concrete. I wore him in the Ergo the rest of the time and he resumed a state of complacency.

The rest of our afternoon became a spontaneous scavenger hunt for Christmas decorations. We eagerly wandered the streets of uptown in search of "giant ornaments". Jackson insisted I take a picture of him in front of various décor. Of course, if I had asked him to pose for a picture he likely would have refused. I was elated that he actually wanted me to take pictures!

 

The statue below is not a seasonal display, but it was the first time Jackson saw it up close. He admired how shiny it was and kept saying, "I can see myself!"

 

 

I asked a business man to take a picture of us. He hesitated, looked pained that I had interrupted him, and took my phone after an awkward pause. I thanked him and smiled, then he replied, "Well this is my lunch break." I have never in my life had a lunch "break" longer than 20 minutes, so I found his impatience quite amusing. I ended up saying, "I'm so sorry we took up 90 seconds of your lunch." Ah, I am so far removed from the working world and I haven't missed it one bit since I resigned.

 

Seriously, how lucky am I to decide on a whim how to spend our days, share each day with these four, and discover new sights through their eyes? I cannot think of anything else I'd rather do!