Soon I'll stop writing about these events but for now, having the two kids all day by myself is still quite an adventure. Ben and I waived buh-bye to Mom shortly after 7am and immediately hit the floor for some play time. He was dressed (thanks Kerri!) and fed before Abigail woke up which makes things a bit easier. Once Ben wrapped up his mid-morning nap we were ready to go out and tackle the world.

We started off by meeting Darin and his boys at the mall for a little play time. This is no small feat at Christmas time because the place is wall to wall people and a little walker like Abby could easily get separated. After the mall we stuck with Darin's crew and headed over to McDonald's (the fast food place) for some grub and time in their little "playland". 40 minutes of good tough play and we were ready for the next adventure: Cut down your own Christmas tree. There's a place to chop your own tree just a mile or two from my house that is small but has a nice feel to it. I didn't actually get a tree there because they didn't have the type I was looking for but it was fun just walking through the forest and helping Darin drag his prize back down the hill.

When we got home from the tree farm I was unpacking my offspring from the car when I noticed my friend Dave driving up the street. I flagged him down and we got to hang out for a few minutes (ahhh, adult time). I hadn't noticed just how beautiful it was outside but Dave did and was driving around town snapping pictures from various places. The top of my hill happens to have a nice view of Santa Rosa Valley and Moorpark, especially on a clear day. Soon after Dave left my place for more digi-fun another old friend stopped by to use my network connection for a bit since his had been down hard all day.

We ended the day back over at Darin's place for pizza and a controlled place for the kids to go crazy.

When Kerri returned I told her what I always told her, that I'm utterly amazed at how much she does every day. I was exhausted and I didn't pull off any laundry, dishes or general cleaning. I didn't even have to prepare lunch since we were out and I was pooped. Either I am a complete slacker or Kerri needs to be tested for the same ointments that Barry Bonds is accused of using. I don't know how she does it. I won't even talk about my Mom and the 7 of us kids. If that were me? Shotgun, please.

Yesterday was the first time though that I really had fun most of the time with both of the kids, instead of seeing the day as a ticking clock, waiting for Kerri to return. Abby was always fun to take along on a Dad's day but it is just harder with two when one is an infant. Ben is getting close to the stage where it'll be fun for all and we'll tell Mom to stay out late so we can continue play.