A really nice weekend

What a beautiful weekend this was. The weather was great; the only thing that would have made it perfect would have been a little rain. In typical Minnesota fashion, we have gone from too much rain to not enough. The lawn is not looking so good except where the kids played in the sprinkler; the trick is to keep moving it around I guess- double duty.

After Mass last night we surprised the kids with an impromptu picnic at the park they have been asking to play at. This was very last minute, so dinner was takeout chicken, and by chicken I mean only chicken. The kids used the box as their plates and washed up with baby wipes. Maybe next time I will pack dinner. We had so much fun playing; this was a really fun park. I thought Gabriella would give Paul a heart attack the way she meanders about. She has no fear of heights or speed. It's quite a sight when there is a waiting line to use the swings. Yes, our family hogs the swings; there's so darn many of us we even doubled up to get us all on. We decided we best let the others have a chance, so we moved on to the climbing wall and slides. It was hard to leave but a threat of a storm urged us on only to disappoint us with about a tablespoon of rain.

This morning, the kids actually let me sleep in until 7. The sun was shining through the freshly washed windows; if you could have only seem them before you would know why this was such a sight for sore eyes. The morning was so beautiful I decided we should have some morning time out on the deck. We did puzzles, sang songs, watched the birds and even had breakfast outside. Note to self... styrofoam bowls don't do well on a windy day. Fun just the same. I'm sure it was quite a sight especially with Pauly panicking that things would fly away.

For some reason the styrofoam bowls gave me an idea to make musical instruments, so after lunch the kids decorated their bowls and a milk jug, filled them with rice, noodles and popcorn, and then had a little parade.

This turned out little dark, but Gabriella and Pauly had fun making noise, I mean music. Gabriella wasn't messing around with any pretend instruments; she went straight for the real deal. I think she's going to be a percussionist like her mama.

Later in the afternoon, my parents came over for dinner. My siblings and I are in the process of planning a 50th wedding anniversary party for my parents, and my mom brought over a box of old photos and miscellaneous items she found. She brought her veil, her prayer book, and the wedding book that had all the shower and wedding details recorded. It was fun to read the list of gifts. Her gift to my dad was a t.v. stand and a room divider; how romantic! My dad's gift to my mom was a duster. At first Paul was thinking duster as in something to dust the house with until my mom clarified that it was a robe. That was when life was a lot simpler.

We had a lot of fun looking through the pictures; she had a glimmer in her eye I'm not sure I've seen before. Amazing to see how young they looked, and to see how far they've come in 50 years. She was 18 and he was 22. Now 5 children, 13 grandchildren later... they are a very blessed couple. Please say a prayer for good weather this coming Saturday; that is their actual anniversary and the date of the party- outdoors.

The kids are always upset when it is time for my parents to leave, tonight they pounced in efforts to keep her here. It is such a joy to watch your children so happy; we are blessed to have them in our lives and pray for many years to come.