Switcher-Roo Weekend with Tyler

I know it's been a while since I posted but I couldn't think of a more fun way to get back into blogging then with "Switcher-Roo Weekend" photos. What is "Switcher-Roo Weekend" you might be asking? Several weeks ago I devised a plan to take advantage of a couple of days off that Tyler had from school (fall break!). Kendra and I had been talking about trying to find one-on-one time with the boys, especially the older ones, Tyler and Colby. Well this was going to be the perfect weekend plan. So we mapped out that on Friday, Kendra and Colby would spend a large portion of the day together and I would have the same opportunity with Tyler. Then on Monday, we will "switch kids" and I'll then have Colby for some time and Kendra will get her time with Tyler. My wonderful parents agreed to come in town to help watch Brady so that was perfect.

Tyler and I started our day on the train that runs between Ft. Worth and Dallas (the TRE) as we were heading towards downtown Dallas. We had a blast on the train talking about stuff and just having some fun "I sure love you Tyler.... I sure love you too Daddy" time. It was priceless time with Tyler. We arrived at Union Station and got off and walked several blocks (Tyler announced that his legs were sure tired and needed oxygen!! I think he got that from a Magic School Bus DVD but it sounded cute!) to our destination of the Fountain Place.

I chose the Fountain Place because of several reasons: 1) it was a place that I had not been to and I knew Tyler had never gone there before either 2) because of the heat that day, a place with lots of fountains and water sounded like a cool place and finally 3) I know my 6-year old and if there's a fun place with shooting water, he'll love it... AND HE DID !! The place is really neat because it's nestled into downtown Dallas and it's behind one of the larger buildings in Dallas. But once you are there, you can enjoy lots of peaceful water falls and fun, shooting water!! Of course, it helped to have a cookie to enjoy while we watched the water.

After that, we made our way back to Union Station and went back to train station near our house. We then went to eat at Wendy's because I promised Tyler a fun Frosty treat for walking so much and for hurting his oxygen-deprived legs!!! HA We had a fun time just visiting and eating our special treat.

From there we went to the batting cages. I thought Tyler would enjoy watching and trying to hit balls coming from a machine. My sweet Tyler has never been the most coordinated athlete but I thought he'd enjoy this experience. And I was right again ... at least for a while. When we arrived, a couple of college guys were hitting from the "high fast pitch" which Tyler thought was so fun to watch. He was fascinated that the ball was coming out of the machine so fast and even more amazed that these guys were hitting it. He even said one time, "Dad, he's hitting the ball like the Texas Rangers". While cute, I didn't think it was appropriate to explain to Tyler that the Rangers stink and maybe they could learn a thing or two from those college guys!! :-)

After watching for a bit, we got our helmets and bat and tokens. Tyler wanted me to go first and so I made my way to the "slow pitch softball" section because I knew I didn't want to embarass myself in front of my 6 year-old son!! So after I finished a round, I got Tyler in the cage with me. We went through some techniques and he was having fun. But after 2 solid swings that just barely missed, Tyler made contact on the 3rd one... unfortunately though so did his thumb. It broke the skin a little bit but really hurt him. I was disappointed because he was having so much fun to that point. So we left a little earlier than planned but Tyler was so strong. He was tough little boy after the initial pain (and shock) wore off. He actually couldn't wait to come home and show Mommy, Nana, Papa and Colby his hurt thumb. It was cute.

So that was our day. I will tell you that I'm extremely excited about this becoming a tradition with our family. We will be able to add Brady into the "Switcher-Roo Weekend" at some point but there is nothing like spending one-on-one time with your son. Again, thanks to my parents for watching Brady in order for this to happen. I'm looking forward to some time on Monday with Colby. I'll have a report on that day in the coming week so check back in.

God bless you all,

SJ