Another fun weekend behind us. We dragged Tyler all over the place and like a trooper, he had fun everywhere we went. Jacob's birthday party was Saturday and when we first got there, it was nice and sunny so we were playing outside on their deck. Tyler was very intrigued by the above-ground pool but luckily wasn't tall enough to get into too much trouble with it, as long as his sleeves were rolled up. It started raining on us outside so we moved in but Tyler had a really hard time leaving outside and kept convincing Jacob's grandpa that he needed to be allowed back outside. Funny boy kept running straight out toward the pool only to start getting pelted by the rain. He put his arms over his head as though he didn't like the rain, but kept heading back out there so it must not have bothered him too much. Jacob got a big chocolate cake to make a mess in and he did a pretty good job at it. There was even chocolate up his nostrils. I was up and down more in the few hours we were there than I usually am all weekend so by the end of the night I was wiped out. Tyler too, he fell asleep before we got to the end of their driveway.

Sunday we went for a walk in the newly opened park across the street. We are so lucky to have such an awesome, huge park in our front yard! Chili loves it too. We strolled along the many different sidewalk trails and wandered up to the path along the refuge that had been Chili's old stomping ground. The park will definitely take over that roll now. At one point along the walk, Shawn looked at Tyler in the stroller and noticed he only had one shoe off. We had to turn around and retrace our steps to find where that sneaking boy had removed his shoe. How he did that without either of us noticing or running over it in the stroller I don't know, but I've added that to my list of things to tune my radar into for future walks. Sunday was also the 12-year anniversary of the first date Shawn & I had so we wanted to go out for dinner, but when Tyler decided to take a nap at 5:00 we weren't sure if that was going to work out. I usually try to keep him awake instead of taking one of those late afternoon naps because it's so close to his real bedtime, he never wakes up in a good mood. This night was no different. When he woke up at 6:30 we headed straight out the door to the Old Spaghetti Factory, the same restaurant Shawn took me to 12 years ago (he took me to the one downtown Sac but we went to the one in Elk Grove). Tyler was fine during the wait but once we sat at our table he turned into a tyrant. Since he had eaten pasta with red sauce for lunch, e ordered him macaroni & cheese with applesauce. He occasionally eats applesauce at daycare but usually has something like a waffle or pancake to dip it in. This time he decided to dip his hands into it. When Shawn tried to help him with the spoon, Tyler had a fit which included flailing applesauce all over the table and floor under him. We offered him bread but he just kept picking it up and throwing it on the ground. Same with a spoon. And the placemat. Luckily for us, this is a family restaurant and their were other kids who were crying much louder than Tyler so I wasn't too bothered by his behavior. The mess he made was pretty bad, but at least that doesn't disrupt other people's dinners. Unless a thrown piece of food hits them, which none did this time. The macaroni kept his interest for a little while but what Tyler really wanted was the spaghetti on Daddy's plate. Unfortunately, we didn't realize that was what he wanted until it was almost all gone. Note to self, order spaghetti from the kids menu next time. Even though it will make a big mess on Tyler's hands and face. Maybe the mess on him will take away from the mess on the table and floor.

As we get dressed for school, Tyler and I talk about his friends and teachers. This helps him stay sidetracked from trying to wiggle free from the diaper change. This morning as we began talking about it, he said "School" clear as day. I couldn't believe it. Yesterday he picked up my slipper and said "Shoe." Amazing.