A good kind of chaos

The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity for our little family.  My in-laws were in town April 1-7 (my parents were also here for April 4-5), then we went to my folks' house for Easter from April 9-12.  Much fun was had over the past two weeks.  Here are just a few highlights:

10.  The Nugget took his Grandma and Papa to the park, where he showed off his new-found climbing and running skills.

9.  The Nugget took Grandma, Papa, Grammy, and Grandpa to the zoo.  The peccaries and prairie dogs were notable favorites.  He also got to ride the zoo train, which is a special treat since it's an extra $2 per ride and Mommy is a cheapskate.

8.  Grammy and Grandpa treated us to a hibachi dinner, where the Nugget got to see the chef slice, dice, and cook right at the table.  He was momentarily seized with terror when the chef set a stack of onion rings on fire, but calmed down to enjoy eating his fried rice with chopsticks.

7.  The Nugget enjoyed two egg hunts - an indoor hunt at a friend's house and an outdoor hunt at Grammy and Grandpa's.  The candy and coins inside the eggs went largely unnoticed, but great entertainment was found in just putting the eggs into and out of the pail and bag.

8.  The Nugget took an entourage of relatives to a neighborhood park.  How many adults and tweens does it take to watch one toddler?  I think it was 10....

7.  Aunt B taught the Nugget how to roll the stacking rings across the room.  He is still practicing.

6.  The Nugget tested the ceiling fans and light switches at Grammy and Grandpa's about a zillion times.  We may owe them some new light bulbs.

5.  The Nugget became smitten with cousin M.  Wish we could have her commute for weekly babysitting!  Maybe we can convince her to go to the local university.

4.  Aunt B treated the Nugget to homemade brownies and her legendary butter cookies.  He has been hopefully signing "cookie" and checking all our counters for more.  

3.  The Nugget played an enthusiastic game of catch with cousin F and uncle R.  About half the time he throws a ball, he releases it too early and it drops behind his back.  It's a hoot to watch him try to figure out where it went.

2.  The Nugget elicited about a dozen hisses and a couple swipes (don't worry, she's declawed and all cat-toddler encounters are heavily supervised with toddler kept out of batting and biting range) from Grandpa's cat.  You would think he would become more cautious, but each encounter just made him shriek with delight and he'd try to go right back in for a big smooch.  

1.  The Nugget got to pet neighborhood doggie Casey.  You'd think he'd met a rock star.

So now that we are home, we have some much needed downtime.  The Nugget is adjusting to not having doting grandparents present.  This coming Saturday, I'm going to Chicago with friends and I will spend my very first night EVER away from the Nugget.  I am simultaneously overjoyed to have some time away and very sad and mournful to leave my precious boy.  He'll be in the good, skilled hands of Daddy, whom I will attempt not to call every 5 minutes while I'm away.