Morning Surprises

The boys got two big surprises this morning: a new box house from Uncle Leland and a trip to IHOP before preschool with mom and dad.

 

 

Box houses are a big thing for us – Leland gave Charles and Jamie the box from his new recliner at Christmas and it lingered until March, long after its useful life.  By the end, it was a broken shell of a box, really.  The boys love to make up their own games and scenarios in the box house, and this new one will undoubtedly keep them entertained for minutes, even tens of minutes, on end.  If that doesn’t sound like a long time to you, then you must not have children.  Why, in a half hour, I can get so much done around the house and even have time left over to use the bathroom all alone!  Or drink an uninterrupted cup of tea!  How luxurious!

 

 

I highly recommend finding a box house for your littles.

 

I’ve mentioned before that we don’t eat out often; my children are adorable monsters who don’t understand things like “volume control” and “respect for other diners” and “the restaurant is not a jungle gym.”  Breakfast might just be the perfect meal to teach them some manners, even if it takes years for the lessons to sink in.  There were very few other parties at IHOP at 7 am, and one of those was a group of teenagers celebrating a birthday.  The birthday boy was wearing a gold lame suit and a dinosaur hat.  Somehow, I don’t think anyone minded Jamie singing about bacon from our booth in the corner.

 

 

A trip out for breakfast is not something we do often.  In fact, I can’t remember the last time we went out for breakfast, just us.  It was wonderful, and something we plan on doing again.  Once a quarter?  Twice a year?  How long will it take to try every breakfast restaurant in town?  Because I LOVE BREAKFAST and, apparently, so do my children.

 

If only I had room in my squished stomach for more pancakes.