A Summer of Sleepovers

CJ took this photo during this sleepover at the
Natural History Museum

It's been a big summer for sleepovers for CJ. Before this summer, he had only had 1 sleepover at his friend Liam's house and that was last summer, not counting a few nights here and there at Grandma and Grandpa's house in VA.

This summer, CJ went on a 4-day trip to Pittsburgh and Johnston with my in-laws.  I was a little worried about this trip since CJ was going to be away 3 nights, the longest time away from us AND he was going to be out of state. Grandma and Grandpa said he handled the trip like a champ. He was well behaved, he ate well, he was very entertaining to Maki's great aunt, and he didn't seem to miss home too much.

He also went to a friend's birthday party sleepover that started with hitting balls on a driving range, miniature golf, watching Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and then sleeping with 21 other boys in one room! I know, talk about brave parents.

CJ and his buddy slept under the left fin of
Phoenix the Whale

Last Friday night, CJ attended a sleepover at the Natural History Museum in DC with one his buddies and his buddy's dad. The program started at 7:30pm and ended at midnight but the boys were apparently up past 1am. They heard some lectures, they went on an adventure hunt, they watched an IMAX movie, and they slept under Phoenix the whale. Is this kid lucky or what?

He's also spent a bunch of time with my in-laws during the weeks he didn't have summer camp at the beginning of the summer, before all the camps started.

It's very quiet in the house when CJ is not around. Yes, we have MJ, but he's a lot more subdued when CJ is not around. We joke that MJ gets some "only child" time when CJ has a sleepover. I miss CJ terribly but I know it's super good for him to be away from us.

When CJ is away, we call him every evening. Sometimes, he talks our ears off. Other nights, he just wants to say good night and be on his way.