Now I Remember...

For awhile there, I was struggling to remember what a normal Alabama winter looks like.  This weekend was a good reminder, with surprisingly beautiful weather for a few days in a row. 

Saturday was full of sunshine and temperatures in the mid- to upper-60s.  It would have felt very wrong to let weather like that go to waste, so we headed off to the big city (about an hour away) to spend some time at the downtown park before meeting family for dinner.

Thankfully, it's a large park, because it seems everyone within a 50-mile radius had the same idea! 

Addison and Mackenzie were SO excited to be outside, running free for the first time in several weeks.

We saw lots of fish, ducks, and dogs.  I actually loved that it was bustling with people...I enjoyed watching the kids chasing one another, families lounging on quilts, and dogs playing fetch.

Addison

Mackenzie

Later in the afternoon, we were meeting my family for an early dinner to celebrate my aunt's birthday.  There was a long wait, but thanks to the beautiful weather, we were able to pass the time without any fussing from the girls.  They even made a new friend in the outdoor waiting area. 

Isn't he a cutie?  The best part was when A & M decided to start sharing sweet hugs with their new friend, completely unprompted.  It was the cutest thing...they just kept taking turns hugging on him, and he didn't seem to mind at all!

I just love this picture of Mackenzie and the birthday lady, her "Nonnie" (Connie):

It's a bit hard to explain, but Saturday was such a wonderful day...it felt like one of those days I have been waiting for as a parent.  Like I have this idea of a life with toddlers that involves lovely weekend afternoons running off energy in the park and an enjoyable (if slightly crazy) family dinner, and it happened...  it actually happened. 

Dinner in a nice restaurant with the girls is always a bit of a gamble, but I came prepared with backpacks full of crayons, coloring books, stickers, and play-doh (sorry about the play-doh crumbs in the carpet, Red Lobster!).  The girls ate decently and sat in their high chairs for a large portion of the meal.  We all got to eat in relative peace and no one had to eat one-handed while wrestling a clingy, whining child.  Basically, it was about as successful as we dare hope for a restaurant meal to be at this point!

We have spent fun afternoons in the park before, of course, and the girls always enjoy playing.  But then we would get home and someone would be overtired or whiny...or I forgot to pack a drink and everyone was thirsty and hungry, and it just kind of put a damper on the experience, you know?  Like it should be easier to go out and have a great afternoon with your family. 

As I have learned, though, nothing about life with small twins is easy and usually doesn't work exactly as it seems it should... except that for this one day, it did.