August 20, 2016
We don't often get to choose our neighbors, but we have REALLY lucked out with ours! This past year, we met the McCurdys when their son Maddox started Kindergarten and rode the bus with Luke. The boys became fast friends and we have loved getting to know Shane, Karla, Maddox, and their two-year-old daughter, Sydney. Sydney had her 2nd birthday party at Peter Piper Pizza this past Saturday afternoon. The kids and I attended on our own, while Jeff took his friend Conrad up on his invitation to go kite surfing.
Well, I said there have been an unprecedented number of smooth, pleasant outings with my little flock of children lately, but I also said we are still a hot mess sometimes. This was one of those times...
To start with, we were late, and the torrential downpour while we were on the freeway only made us later.
The twins fell asleep on the way to the restaurant and Jade had a particularly hard time waking up. She purposely dropped her stuffed animal on the sidewalk, so we had to go back and get it, she refused to walk a few times, and by the time we got through the restuarant doors, she was crying.
Karla met us at the entrance, gave us hugs and reassurances about our tardiness and dramatic entrance, and carried Jade over to the reserved tables, trying to help her feel better as they went.
We sat down at the tables and Karla helped get the kids pizza, drinks, and ice cream, while Luke ran off to find Maddox in the arcade. Shane went to check on him for me.
After pizza, the twins and I went to use their tokens, McKenna on my hip. It was a bit challenging helping them with the games and their tokens one-handed, so I occasionally had to put my phone, the tokens, and/or McKenna down temporarily. One of those times, McKenna, still on my hip, must have knocked my phone onto the floor. Karla's dad immediately found it and thought it was lost. I didn't notice him looking for the owner.
As I was looking for my phone (not an easy thing to do with two excited, distractable 3 year-olds in tow), I noticed my purse had disappeared from the floor under the table where I had left it. I momentarily wondered about the theif in our midst, before I noticed Karla had moved my purse to a safer place in the booth with the rest of the purses.
Karla checked on us and asked if we needed help a couple of times while I hearded the twins around the arcade. I told her we were fine and asked how everyone else was doing. I felt bad that she was worrying about us when she should have just been enjoying the party! I mentioned my missing phone, and of course, she knew exactly where it was and got it for me.
The twins and I used the last of our coins on a Batman-themed Whack-a-Mole game. McKenna was being very squirmy and the twins needed help, so I put her down. She immediately crawled away, but she didn't get far, and the crowd had thinned considerably, so I just kept an eye on her where she had pulled herself up on an unoccupied game five feet away. Of course, the moment I got distracted, she decided to make a run for it. Shane brought her back to me and didn't make me feel guilty for letting her escape.
As we got ready to leave, Karla got the kids balloons and goodie bags and she and her mother-in-law praised me for my patience and calm attitude rather than pointing out what a mess I am.
This was an experience of the humbling and gratitude inducing sort. I always feel so bad when my presence makes the host's job harder rather than easier. Guests aren't supposed to burden a busy host even more! But those McCurdys are some of the really good ones and they go out of their way to help and not make me feel guilty for it. Thank heavens for awesome neighbors!
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