Boys, boys, boys!

All of a sudden there are tons of boys at church close to Andrew's age! It is so much fun! I think I have been completely oblivious or something... because most of the boys aren't new, but all of a sudden all of them are more capable of playing together and being little buddies. It is adorable.

We decided to start a little weekly boys playgroup so that the boys can hang out together and the moms can take turns getting a morning off. There are probably 8-9 boys between the ages of 2-3, but the playgroup only worked out for 5 of us... so it is the perfect size.

I hosted for the first week. I was amazed at how quickly the two hours flew by (I'm sure the moms having a break felt the same way!). We spent the first 30 minutes playing with all the toys in our big "playroom" (empty living room) downstairs... then we moved up to the train room (Caitlin's room).

Then the boys moved into Andrew's room and all took turns being amazed by the Great Penguin Race toy. They could sit and stare at that thing forever. Unfortunately we lost one of the penguins... so there were only 2 penguins... and 5 boys. I loved how the little guys mostly played alone alongside one another (with some talking)... unless someone entered into their sphere and seemed to threaten to take something they thought belonged to them.

Andrew just jumped on his bed and watched the other kids play with his toys.

After about an hour of playtime, we did playdough...

then snack time

(both great, semi calm activities where there was minimal arguing or sharing issues).

Andrew loved having a captive audience to tell all about his "boo boo"... he even tried to get one of his friends to kiss it.

After snack time, I attempted a craft with the boys and it was actually a success. We made Fall collages and they were very open ended and a no-fail sort of project. All of them managed to make something in between rides on bikes and sliding down the slide.

The highlight of the morning was playing hide-and-seek. I would close my eyes and count to ten... and they would all go hide in the same place together.

When I would finish counting, they would all run towards me and tell me where they were... and get so excited! Then we would play again... and again.

We finished up the morning with bubbles... and then moms started to arrive.

I think I lucked out having the first week... when everything was new to everyone and they weren't really comfortable yet. It'll be interesting to see how the dynamics change over the next few weeks.

I am excited for my Monday morning off next week!