Story Time with Friends

One thing is certain.  God has placed some really neat families who are in the same life stage as we are at Bethabra.  I could not be more thankful for this.  This morning James and I met Kelli and Caroline and Jeanette and Finn at the bookstore for story time.  It was GREAT.  The last time we did a story time, I chased James around the entire time and it was pretty chaotic.  That's been maybe two months ago, and he was so different today!!  He actually sat on the bench most of the time during the story and watched - well, and it helped that they had toys and some stuffed animals the kids could play with :)  Here are James and Finn.

And look!  Finn, James, and Caroline!  So precious.

James coloring his Christmas tree picture after the story.  He also colored on everyone else's Christmas tree pictures in the building.

Some of our favorite people: Jeanette and Finn

James and Mommy - isn't his shirt sweet?  I got it off of Etsy - I love me some Etsy.  

And, some of our other favorite friends: Kelli and Caroline.  She is enjoying a crayon :)

We then ate in the food court together, rode the carousel, and headed home.  I needed to stop by Costco, but I just couldn't handle anymore stops, so I went on home.  For the first time today, in the bookstore right after story time, I thought I'd lost James.  He was playing in this toy basket they had in the corner, and I thought the bookshelf met the wall and there was no space to get through.  All of a sudden I looked back and he wasn't there anymore - there was a crack between the wall and the bookshelf that I didn't see and he had slipped through it - we are in an enormous Barnes and Nobles - one with an ESCALATOR if that helps you get an idea, and we were upstairs.  Yikes.  I said to Kelli, "Do you see James?" And I could see the same look of sudden panic on her face.  She said no, and we both started to look, but then she saw him come around from that space between the wall and the bookshelf - I think he was trying to play "boo".  Scared me to death.  I think that helped me see just how easy it would be to lose him.  Literally just one second - doesn't have to be a bad, neglectful mom thing, could be the best mom in the world it happens to because literally...one second...and he was gone.  Yikes.  Very thankful that he was just playing "boo" with me.  Though I didn't think it was possible, I will watch him even CLOSER.  Seriously.

Oh, and Happy Birthday to my daddy today!!!!