Under pressure

This week has been insanely busy.  Drive-in with the kids Tuesday night.  Oh and lets not forget the emergency trip to the pediatrician earlier that afternoon when the Doodle Bop accidentally sliced above the Big Guy's eye with paper (that we though sliced his eye as well).  But it didn't. Score one more for the Doodle Bop.  Crushing fingers, knocking out teeth, and now?  Paper to eyes.

Looks good now that it's got the spidey band aid... but when it happened?  That eye was swollen shut.

Oooh and there is that time I found two kids playing in the sink.  Because they were bored.

Bill Harley concert with the kids Wednesday night.  A friend got the boys into his music and it was such a flashback because I grew up listening to him.  Not only did he come to all the local elementary schools, my mom took me to one of his concerts back in the day.  After the concert he mentioned he would stick around a little and though we were way up the hill and over to the side I grabbed the boys hands and we ran like something was on fire.  All my prior celebrity stalking is paying off, can you tell? 

We were the first in line.  I wanted to tell him what a big part of my childhood he was and how cool it was to take my kids to see him... but it was so crazy I only managed to get a photo of them before we stepped aside for the next person.

Thursday morning I was finally at the doctor's office.  For weeks now I have barely been able to hear out of one of my ears and it is driving me crazy.  Lets just say we were in there waiting too long and the boys went nuts.  Bones and muscles.

This one below is the Doodle Bop saying Poop! This is where POOP COMES OUT!  God help me.

Once I was finally seen they jumped on each other like they were MMA fighting as I tried to listen to the doctor tell me I had fluid in my ear ... but you know, I could barely hear anyway. 

I promised the boys this entire week that I would take them to the beach today and they could use their brand new boogie boards from Julie.  This morning I published my hair chalking post on Buy-Her, packed up the kids and headed out the door nearly 45 minutes behind my usual schedule.  I was kind of amazed that we made it to the beach in just over a half hour.  Where were all the cars?

We unloaded the car and trekked down the beach.  That is when the smell hit me.  Oh my gah.  Just ew.  Then I notice the water.

I texted Al to ask if there was a red tide warning...but there wasn't.  My friend found something about stinky seaweed invading the beaches and I have to say the description is pretty accurate.  The boys were devastated when I had to tell them they were NOT getting in that water.  Truth be told there was only a handful of people braving the water.  Mostly everyone else just sat around complaining about the stink.  We didn't even last an hour and a half in the sand.  While the boys can spend hours building sand castles they were too upset at finally having boogie boards and not being able to use them. This is pretty much all they did (when they weren't complaining).

The beach is my serenity.  I don't know how else to explain it.  I totally get that a ruined beach day is Nothing on the scheme of things... and its not like we won't be back again at the end of next week.  But I'm starting to fall apart over leaving on Monday and going on this trip (that I'm sure will be amazing but right now my nerves are getting the best of me)... and sitting on that stinky beach watching the boys flip out?  I wanted to cry my eyes out.

Its hard to find perspective on things when the place you go to Find your perspective is a mess.  I took my cranky kids home and showered them up, then we took a trip to McDonald's for lunch as a treat.  An employee came over to ask if I needed a high chair for the Doodle Bop (and only the Doodle Bop).  Uh...no thanks I stuttered.  I wanted to scream Seriously?  He's 5!  And I couldn't help but wonder how even if he seemed small enough, what about his twin brother sitting next to him.  Crazy funny the more I think about it.

I am now hiding out in my room with a Starbucks, my laptop and the ceiling fan on...hoping that the boys can occupy themselves for awhile because I feel like I am on my last nerve with them.  If I hear one more kid yell 'Mom!  Mommy!!!' one more time... I don't even know. 

Which is funny too because come Monday I know I will find it hard to leave them.

And now it has gotten way too quiet, which means they are surely up to something.  Do I want to know?  I'm not so sure.  Time to go check up on them I suppose.

Only at the drive-in

Just a mention of a drive-in makes me think of the 1950's.  Happy Days.  Or Grease.  Like I want to start belting out Beauty School Drop Out.  My husband on the other hand, thinks of the final scene of Pee Wee's Big Adventure.  Can you tell that neither of us had ever been to one before?

When I was small my mom would talk about how she and my dad used to go to the local drive-in that closed down the year I was born.  (Way back in 1977.)  The last movie she saw there was Saturday Night Fever.  So yeah.

Growing up I had no idea there were any drive-in's left in our state.  But that wasn't the case.  There was the Rustic Tri Vue Drive-In in Smithfield.  I've known about it since college but never thought to go.  On the boys summer list landed going to a movie at night.  Shortly after that I happened to see that one of the local radio stations 95.5 WBRU was hosting a night where you could get in for $15 a carload (vs the usual $25 which is still a bargain).  For TWO movies! 

Not having a clue how early we should arrive, we packed up the boys last night and waited in a car line just before 7pm outside of the drive-in. 

And man were there some characters there.  Before the movies start is prime people watching time!  Not only did I have no choice but to overhear numerous conversations, we watched someone trying to pawn off pitbull puppies (in hand) to people, AND (my personal favorite) an overpacked car full of adults blasting LMFAO while a young child danced and wiggled on top of and all around the car.  

They say the movie starts at sundown, but that isn't quite true... it was more like an hour after sundown...9pm.  For the boys who are in bed by 7:30pm this was huge.  Hopped up on candy and popcorn they were in it for the long haul and LOVED getting to sit in the back of the truck.  And checking out the WBRU table.

I joked with Al that if The Amazing Spiderman got boring later I would just go sit on the other side of the truck and watch Magic Mike on another screen.  I didn't need the sound.  And HOW did we not know this place existed as high schoolers?  That is what I really want to know.  (Mom you didn't read that last part.)

We got to watch Brave first, which the boys thought was awesome. 

The Bunny Bee has been perfecting his Scottish accent since the very first preview and thinks its hilarious to bend over and yell 'Feast your EYES!'  It was adorable to listen to them giggle from the back of the truck.  By the time the movie ended we debated on leaving, but the boys were wide awake and geared up for Spiderman.  After a bathroom run we decided to stay. 

It was the little things like this that made my heart melt.

I would say about 10 minutes into Spiderman the twins were bouncing all over the truck...then things went suddenly silent.  I turned around to find the Big Guy smiling at me and pointing to the boys.  Totally passed out. 

The Big Guy lasted half way through Spiderman before he crashed out too.  Impressive that he made it to just about midnight though. 

It was not until well after 1am that the movies ended.  And in case you are wondering yes I did happen to watch a few minutes of Magic Mike and no you did NOT need the sound. Just sayin'!

When it was time to go, we lifted the boys out of the back of the truck and strapped them into their car seats.  The Big Guy lost a flip flop in the process and we didn't notice until we
were home. Remember the days where you could just lie in the back of a truck/station wagon/van?  No losing flip flops then...am I right?

Safe schmafe. 

Anyway, we were home a little after 1:30am and put the boys in bed.  I wasn't asleep till after 2am and you know the boys were up at the usual time this morning.  How that happens I will never know.  I am dragging today.  But it was totally worth the night with the boys.  Loving the summer list.