A Picnic in the Hood

Sunday, September 2, was our neighborhood picnic. After church, we bought some bacon 'n bleu potato salad to take as our side dish, along with our burgers to grill. We packed up some drinks and I texted Miranda to see if she'd mind coming to watch Ryan. She was just getting off work when the picnic was starting, but we agreed to wait for her. Ryan had been fussy that afternoon, and we knew having him around a grill or fire pit later in the evening would not be fun for him or for us. So, once the babysitter arrived, we headed to "Suzanna's house" (as the boys call it!).

It was fun catching up with our neighbors. I love to hear what's going on in their lives, and the picnics give us a good opportunity to see folks that we normally only say hi to in passing as our lives seem to get busier and busier.

While Joshua and Peyton, his friend who is his age and in afternoon kindergarten with his same teacher, were both going for a ball, Joshua ended up on the cement with his elbow. Peyton didn't try to knock him over; he's just a little meatier than the Bean. I ran to grab my screaming boy, and he dripped blood all over my clothes. There were two nurses there, who examined his arm to see if he needed stitches (his wound was pretty deep). But, they said it should be fine with bandages. They ran inside to get him some, along with an ice pack. Poor little man! He was having so much fun, but he was pretty ouchy. So, we decided to take him home. He said he'd feel better if he was allowed to play Wii. We cracked up!!!

We changed his bandages for a few days as the blood would soak through them, but eventually his elbow healed up. I went back a little later to see if anyone was still out, and I got to see a few folks around the fire pit, but most had gone home at that point. I didn't stay too much longer either. It was a nice evening. :) I'm thankful for neighbors who are willing to organize and host these events.

The next day was Labor Day. We had no picnic and no plans, so we spent the day laboring, literally. We cleaned and scrubbed and did yard work, etc. It was all things that needed done, and our busy schedule that weekend hadn't really allowed time for the "extras." So, it all fell on the Monday before school started.