Crawfish: bait or dinner?

Yesterday we spent the day on the Cape at a crawfish boil.  I'd like to offer a special thanks to AGB for inviting us and sharing a little special taste of the South with us!  What's even better, the timing of the party worked out perfectly for the boys to nap in the car on the way there, and change into pajamas for the ride home.  (You all know how important it is for my boys to nap properly)  In Ohio, a crawfish is more likly to be bait, not a meal, so I was a little weary of eating "mudbugs" but all my Texan friends assured me they're tasty and I was game to try. 

All morning Pete wanted to know when it was time to go to his friend's house.  This kid might be the most social little boy in the world.  All I had to do was tell him we were going to his friend's house for a party and he was putting on his shoes and heading for the car.  When we arrived, he instantly made friends and we all walked to the playground.  Despite being the youngest, he was right in there with all the kids on the slides and in the sandbox.  Later they were all playing with the crawfish before we boiled them.  I'm not sure he really understood betting on crawfish races, and I know he's actually quite scared of them, but in the moment with all the other kids playing with dinner, he was right there in the middle.  I even watched him climb into the driver's seat while the other kids pushed the power wheels up the hill to ride it back down.  It's a unique moment, watching your child play with other kids without being prompted on how to play together.  No "share with your brother" or "throw the ball to Tyler."  Pete's growing up, and it was touching to see him as the person he's becoming, not just my child.

Chester is still toddling around, not ready yet to interact with other children.  Mostly children will play independently until around age two when they move to parallel play before finally interacting with peers.  Chester played with some of the balls, and rode a hot wheels, but he still doesn't venture very far from me or Ryan.  When the crawfish were ready, Ryan shelled one for Chester, and to my surprise, Chester loved it!  He came running back over and over squealing for more.  I'm pretty sure Chester ate more of them than I did.  We ordered 8 pounds as a family, and while Pete probably played with his share, Chester definitely ate his. 

It was very nice to meet some of the new wives from the Cape, and of course dinner and dessert was fantastic.  I ate so many cookies and oreo cheesecake cupcakes and dirt pudding cups that I had to stop counting calories for the day.  Ryan said my phone's calorie counter probably stopped working because it's like the "tilt" mechanism on a pinball machine.  Maybe I'll skip weigh in this week, or maybe I'll schedule in an extra zumba or yoga. 

We got some great, and much anticipated news this weekend too, but I'll let her share with the world when she's ready.  Congratulations to my secretly pregnant chick friend!  We've waited for this with you, and your heartbreak and struggle to get pregnant has been our heartbreak too because we know you'll be an amazing Mom.  Happy Mother's Day to all my Mom friends, and especially Mom-to-be Secretly Pregnant Chick!