Frantic But Fun Friday

Today was a busy work day for Mommy and Daddy, which made for a frantic day, but plans for family time for all of us, accompanied by Aunt Jane and Uncle Gary Horner (and daughter Sarah home from completing college and preparing to move to the East coast to start her new jobJ) held the promise of a fun Friday.

Daddy was up early and away to work, returning home at shortly after 1 p.m. in time to join the two of you and Mommy in our back yard, and in time to make us a late lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches and chips (and of course “Holiday drink”—“Holiday drink” is code for Seven UpJ). After lunch, Mommy was off to work, and the three of us settled in for a short afternoon nap.

By 4 p.m. we three were up and moving, and Daddy organized getting the two of you dressed and our carriage packed for our adventure. Sean Franky stopped by for a brief visit, agreed to help Daddy out by returning our movie rentals to Redbox, and had to get on back to work himself. Shortly thereafter, Aunt Jane and Uncle Gary and Sarah arrived and the group of us made our way to partake in the second First Friday festival downtown. Daddy commented how impressed he was that the First Friday event seemed to be really be taking off, a significant improvement from just one such event last month, the first First FridayJ. We first (J) stopped by the business where Aunt Jane works occasionally on the weekends, where the two of you got your faces painted with “balloon art” (guess what colors-mmmm-blue for Bodhi and yellow for BuddhaJ) and where the two of you played hula hoop and sidewalk bowling and sidewalk beam walking (Bodhi you genuinely excel at hula hoop, and Buddha you are so doggone coordinated for a two year old on walking beams and gymnastic type activities!).

Aunt Jane chastised Daddy for not remembering to bring the camera, so Daddy improvised with his cell phone camera. Daddy is always impressed with Aunt Jane’s unique talent for working (and playing) with young children, and of course Uncle Gary and Sarah chipped in to assist the two of you in your play efforts as well.

Around 7 p.m. Mommy phoned Daddy and arranged to drive downtown, park her prize Toyota hippie-mobile Highlander, and join us :). There were dance exhibitions on the street near the intersection of Walnut and Main, and of course you joined right in, with Daddy’s assistance of course, Ms. Bodhi, and you were a hoot as you joined right in with the belly dancing exhibition :)!

Daddy and Uncle Gary sampled some wine from McClure’s apple farm, and then we all made our way to the cupcake and cake bakery in the 200 block of North Buckeye and enjoyed some absolutely delicious miniature cupcake samples ( the caramel iced cupcakes were incredible!!!). After those appetizers we all made our way to Foster Park where we enjoyed the first day of the Rib Fest (re-located to the park from downtown for the first time, not without some local controversy—with the pleasant weather we all agreed the controversy was probably not warranted, though if the venue was visited by any amount of rain fall, one wonders if the controversy might not be re-ignited). We all enjoyed our barbeque dinners and then decided it was time to return home—last minute adjustments resulted in you, Buddha, accompanying Daddy and the Horner’s back to our home, while Bodhi and Mommy made a late night venture to Petco to purchase some items needed to welcome our new kittens (Sundae and Garfield) coming to live with us later this weekend :). When we arrive home, Uncle Gary and Daddy enjoyed a glass of Oliver Winery strawberry honey mead before Uncle Gary, Aunt Jane and Sarah decided it was late and they needed to head to their home (and allow a certain little boy to get to bed :).

It was a genuinely fun Friday, we all expressed our hope the Horner family would visit again soon and more regularly, they are dear, dear family-friends (they helped raise you as a baby, Ms. Bodhi, keeping you occasionally at their home when Mommy and Daddy had to work) and always make for delightful company!

By the time Mommy and Bodhi got home from Petco, we were all ready for a much needed night’s pleasant dreams. Night, night to all!

Aunt Jane, Sara, Bodhi, and Jude :)

Uncle Gary, Sara, Aunt Jane, Bodhi, and Buddha :)