It was a busy day...Tonio told me so. "Dad, we did a ton of stuff today!"...And we did most of it alone, just he and I. I tried to remember the last time I only had one of the bambini with me...and couldn't.
Cody left first. Lured by the excitement of a picnic, hiking, etc at Colossal Cave Mountain Park, with Jesus and his family. They packed a lunch and hit the desert. It never went over 92 degrees today, making it down right chilly. Later in the afternoon, he excitedly texted me that they had spotted a coati, known as a tejon in Mexico. It is a member of the racoon family, but we've never seen one in Tucson. Kim and I once saw one while camping at lake Patagonia, but not up here.
We dropped Autumn off at Angie's house. Angie gave her a ride to Kim's baby shower, held at the Chuy's on 22nd and Kolb...the very first place Kim and I ate at when we arrived in Tucson...Autumn was so excited to be going and got herself dressed up and did her nails! She made sure to find out what Lexy, Breanna and Andrea were wearing, so she would choose the right outfit - it was pretty cute!
That left Tonio and I. "What will we do Dad?" he asked, a little sad, realizing he did not receive an invite with anyone...I asked him what he wanted to do, and told him it was our special day to have fun! "Really?...Can we see a movie?"...He ended up selecting the Green Lantern as the movie he wanted to see (at the cheap theaters on Kolb and Speedway)..."Can we get a huge bucket of popcorn? Do they give free refills? Can I get a bag of candy, too?"...we settled on the large popcorn and did manage to finish it!
We both enjoyed the movie, it was good! As we walked out, I asked Tonio what he wanted to do next..."Can we go to Toys R Us?" Sure!! He spent a half hour in the Lego aisle and I let him pick out a small set, telling him it will remind him of our day together. He was beaming. We stopped into the Park Mall for a quick look around...then Home Depot for some more portulacas and some other stuff we needed...then Sunflower Market for fruit, which I let Tonio pick out (plums, peaches, cantaloupe and raspberries!). These kids eat a ton of fruit...I'm not complaining.
Finally, it was time to head up to Chuy's to get Autumn from Kim's shower. As we approached, it began to rain. There were some incredible strikes of lightning over the Catalina mountains. We parked and ran into the restaurant, Tonio giggling over how cold the rain was. And he was just in time for cake! How convenient...
The rain began to get harder. And harder. Until it was coming down in biblical proportions! It beat down on the tin roof at Chuy's, so loud, it made conversation difficult. We were trapped there for over an hour as the wind blew and the rain crashed down, turning to hail for a time.
Cody left first. Lured by the excitement of a picnic, hiking, etc at Colossal Cave Mountain Park, with Jesus and his family. They packed a lunch and hit the desert. It never went over 92 degrees today, making it down right chilly. Later in the afternoon, he excitedly texted me that they had spotted a coati, known as a tejon in Mexico. It is a member of the racoon family, but we've never seen one in Tucson. Kim and I once saw one while camping at lake Patagonia, but not up here.
We dropped Autumn off at Angie's house. Angie gave her a ride to Kim's baby shower, held at the Chuy's on 22nd and Kolb...the very first place Kim and I ate at when we arrived in Tucson...Autumn was so excited to be going and got herself dressed up and did her nails! She made sure to find out what Lexy, Breanna and Andrea were wearing, so she would choose the right outfit - it was pretty cute!
That left Tonio and I. "What will we do Dad?" he asked, a little sad, realizing he did not receive an invite with anyone...I asked him what he wanted to do, and told him it was our special day to have fun! "Really?...Can we see a movie?"...He ended up selecting the Green Lantern as the movie he wanted to see (at the cheap theaters on Kolb and Speedway)..."Can we get a huge bucket of popcorn? Do they give free refills? Can I get a bag of candy, too?"...we settled on the large popcorn and did manage to finish it!
We both enjoyed the movie, it was good! As we walked out, I asked Tonio what he wanted to do next..."Can we go to Toys R Us?" Sure!! He spent a half hour in the Lego aisle and I let him pick out a small set, telling him it will remind him of our day together. He was beaming. We stopped into the Park Mall for a quick look around...then Home Depot for some more portulacas and some other stuff we needed...then Sunflower Market for fruit, which I let Tonio pick out (plums, peaches, cantaloupe and raspberries!). These kids eat a ton of fruit...I'm not complaining.
Finally, it was time to head up to Chuy's to get Autumn from Kim's shower. As we approached, it began to rain. There were some incredible strikes of lightning over the Catalina mountains. We parked and ran into the restaurant, Tonio giggling over how cold the rain was. And he was just in time for cake! How convenient...
The rain began to get harder. And harder. Until it was coming down in biblical proportions! It beat down on the tin roof at Chuy's, so loud, it made conversation difficult. We were trapped there for over an hour as the wind blew and the rain crashed down, turning to hail for a time.
Breanna and Tonio were fascinated by the hail and the 'cats and dogs' that the rain produced. Kolb was transformed into a river. I love this picture!
Now, to be 'trapped' at Chuy's...well, for me, it was akin to Tonio being 'trapped' at Toys R Us!! I was enjoying every minute of it! Especially remembering all of the good times Kim and I had going to this particular location...I love the chips and salsa there! And the kids were all having a good time, eating cake, watching the rain, etc. We all got a little wet as we loaded up all of Kim's gifts into several cars. I pulled Angie's around and came in feeling like someone had doused me with a hose!
On the way home, I lectured the kids about water safety during monsoon. Every year, motorists get trapped, and usually, at least once a year, someone drowns. Two motorists had to be rescued yesterday. I cut across Irvington, to avoid the lake that appears at Valencia and Kolb and whoosh!! I hit a huge puddle of water, the kids screamed as our truck was engulfed in a wave!!
When we got home, we opened up all of the doors...the creosote smelled so good tonight!
We ended the night with yet another Kimmy favorite - the Wedding Singer. She loved Drew Barrymore in this one and was an Adam Sandler fan...Tonio, muttered some gibberish, thank you for a great day Dad, before crashing out on the couch...
Love you little buddy...sweet dreams....
so glad Tonio had a fun day...I know I've said it before but those kids are very lucky to have a dad like you!
ReplyDeleteWish I could enjoy the monsoons but Rocco just shakes and pants the entire time, poor guy...
It sounds like you two had way too much fun. So glad you got to have a day for just the two of you. I bet Tonio slept with a smile on his face. :)
ReplyDeleteAww, Tonio must have loved today! I am telling you , he reminds me so much of my Brayden! Brayden, gray and I take Barb for her radiation. Well there is a Toys R Us right next to the hospital so we get her there and then we go to Toys R Us. Brayden makes a bee line for the Lego aisle. They just kind of look alike too to me. Love you all, love-Laur
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