Whirlwind Weekend

We made it through another whirlwind weekend with full itinerary and enjoyed every minute of it.  I must say I did find myself very sleepy in between gigs yesterday and the bubba even slept in the car on a short drive from party to home.   There's not one thing I would cut out.  My goal was to enjoy each moment at it's present state.  My mom has been visiting this week and that makes it even more fun to share in those moments.

THURSDAY was Night of Excellence.  Mason showed off all of his "excellent" work in his classroom.  The night ended with ice cream - can't go wrong with that!

Someone said he looked like a little businessman
wearing his button-down shirt, glasses and watch.

There was no school on FRIDAY and since Grandma and Meagan LOVE to visit Dave & Busters they invited Mason and Mommy along this time.   We played hard, cashed in our tickets and shopped at the mall 'til we nearly dropped.

My momma requested waffles for breakfast.
I was glad to fulfill her request.  These are gluten-free.....YUM!

Meagan fills her free time with snapping photos of Meagan.
Hmmm....maybe I'll change the password on my phone.

Lunch - it's a food picture day!

SATURDAY brought soccer, movies, yard work, and yummy s'mores and more.

Guess which movie we saw at the theater....come on, guess.  I must say he did well and only covered one ear and one eye most of the movie.  We are very particular about our young children watching PG-13 rated movies and researched the particulars in advance.  We felt like he could handle it and he did great!  A mask request was made before we got to the car. I made a red one first because I had red.  My friend had some blue and after a design change by Captain Mason we had a new mask ready for avenging action.

We finished our Saturday by the fire pit, roasting marshmallows and ending the day with some quiet down time and sugary s'mores.

SUNDAY was a full day of traveling and adventure.  I'll save that detail for another post.

Wonderful Weekend

Beautiful weather and a gorgeous super moon made this a weekend to sit outside and breath some fresh air. That is after you dig in the dirt a little bit.  We did everything but sleep outside on Saturday and Sunday had some nice outside moments as well.

Early morning soccer and flower shopping were the lead into our Derby day.  We did also stop by the eye doctor's office to get SOMEONE's glasses adjusted after a face-plant coming off the swing.

Home with our decor and I filled deck boxes with fresh soil and colorful arrangements.  Michael used some muscle power to broaden the border around the mailbox and tree and then added mulch and a few pretties to dress it up.

The kids helped me make derby pie bars especially fitting on this derby day.  Mason was so glad to  crack the eggs himself and help his sister with the crust.  This is a great recipe and was easy to prepare.  I prepared it sans bourbon and used pecans instead of walnuts.  Some fresh iced tea spiked with fresh mint and we're ready to watch the Run for the Roses.

A meal shared with friends and sleeping with the windows open couldn't make for a better end to such an enjoyable spring night.

Sunday was a different schedule but still lovely and provided an opportunity after church to finish a few projects and enjoy some family time.  Beautiful berries were the centerpiece for this evening meal on the deck.

I saw a sign to pick fresh strawberries near our home.  I hope to visit there soon.

Favorite Foto Friday

I printed some of my favorite pictures from a recent family trip to Virginia Beach to put in an album this week.  I do this from time to time just for good measure.  I told Michael I needed some tactile creativity.  It reminded me that I hadn't posted any pictures.

When we discovered that we all had some free time with no conflicts we decided to get away together for a few days.  However, our family time got a little close and intense as it took 8.5 hours to travel what should have taken 4.5 hours.  We took the smaller car to save on gas and it was a challenge but we endured and it was worth it.

We all handled it in different ways.  Then we almost unpacked the car at the wrong hotel - so funny.  When we got to our correct destination we were relieved that the pool was not crowded and the room was huge and vacation could begin.  These people can create fun where ever they go.  They were just happy to be out of the car.

The beach was cool and brisk and the water frigid but the entire weekend was enjoyable.  

One of my favorite things to do on the beach is fly a kite.  I remember as a kid that I didn't want my kite to go high because I was afraid it would fly away.  (I was afraid of alot of things then.)  I now purposely let it out all the way and love to watch it soar high above us.  

Michael likes to run with the kite.  Looks like alot of work to me.  

I prefer to let the wind take it up naturally.

We saw dolphins in the water most mornings very close to the shore.

Virginia Beach is a great family destination.  The boardwalk is several miles long and the beach gifts shops are on the first street over so there is not as much shopping traffic on the paved walking and biking pathways.

King Neptune

There are creative artwork displays and memorials all along the boardwalk.  

Favorite Foto Friday

Ok so I know it's Saturday but I did take this picture on Friday.  After an full day course of HTML coding (because I love my job and want to do my very best) my brain was saturated and spilling over onto my lap.   I met my family for dinner and was still a little loopy afterwards.  We had shopping to do and as I got out of the car I saw this and had to stop a minute and give praise and thanks.  God's artwork in nature is so beautiful and breathtaking.  This moment put me back on the path to sanity and I was thankful.

I haven't written code since college 23 years ago.  But this was fun and exciting to get those juices flowing again.  I wondered if I could keep up but it went well and I am anxious to apply that knowledge to daily work life.  Watch out WWW here I come.

So when I woke up this morning I realized Friday's jam-packed lecture was still dribbling through my thoughts.  It will level out soon I would guess until the next class.... 6 days from now.  I think I must be calling to my inner geek as I make plans to attend a graphic arts and communication conference this summer.  I asked "Am I nerdy enough for this?"   Not sure, but it will be fun to find out.

So I am glad to learn.  It's a stretch sometimes but I don't want to be complacent.

Now I'm off to finish laundry and prepare for a great family weekend.  Enjoy yours!!!

Thank you Lord for family and time to spend with them.

Fun in Fredericksburg

We traveled today to attend a special basketball game and because traffic was so light around the DC beltway we arrived very early.  We stopped by the Fredericksburg Battlefield visitor's center  for a look around.  This is a Civil War area that we have not explored yet and look forward to going back.  It was raining and we were in and out a bit until the history buffs bought tickets to see a movie in the museum.  That meant that Mason and I could roam the old cemetery and search for cannons.  (He calls them "canyons".)  

Gotta love these OLD trees.

See who's hiding behind this one?

He took interest in every map and photograph.

Wanted to know how each cannon worked
and if he was alive when people used them for real.

Well the rain picked up and the movie ended so off to the game we go.

  

Mason is a BIG fan!!!

 

BIG WIN!!!