Busy Weekend!

We've had a pretty crazy summer so far. Lots of weddings and showers and such. And because of that, we couldn't remember the last time we'd done anything "fun" together, just us as a family. We hang out every evening and do the normal dinner and playing. But on the weekends, we've either been traveling or going to special events. Or we do the normal errands and chores. So I took it upon myself to commit the whole day Saturday to just having fun as a family. We started off the day at Monkey Bizness in Shawnee, which is a really cool indoor jungle gym type place. Eli was able to do a lot more of the stuff than the last time I took him. And Aaron really enjoyed playing with him there, since he had never been before.

After that, we went to Fritz's for lunch. If you live in the KC area and have kids, you should definitely go. The food is delivered by trains on a track that runs about a foot below the ceiling. Eli was completely mesmerized by it. We decided that if we ever wanted to put him on a diet, we'd just take him there for every meal. Because he was too distracted to eat hardly any of his food. The trains blow their whistles every time they bring the food out and Eli would just stare at them all the way around the room.

We also went to The Toy Store on Mass St. in Lawrence, which is huge. The toys were a tad overpriced. But they have a huge selection for kids of all ages. Their basement also has just about every kid's book you could want. And trust me, it's hard for me to be impressed by the number of books. I always think there should be more. But they basically have a children's bookstore in their basement, along with lots of cool science kits and other resources for teachers/parents.

To top the weekend off, Eli and I went to the Legends on Sunday with my mom and Ali. Aaron was studying so he didn't "get" to go along. But we had a really good time. And I think Ali and my mom kind of got a taste of how exhausting Eli can be while trying to wrangle him in public :) I told my mom at one point that she could let him out of the stroller if she watched him and he immediately took off running- lol. I suppose I could have been a little more specific in my warning that she should "watch him" but I guess she figured it out quick enough :) I'm pretty sure he went back in the stroller pretty quickly....

Anyhow, I took some pictures throughout the weekend and the link is below. We hope to start making it more of a priority to do these kinds of things together more often.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2022280&id=65100372&l=8de3c6504f

2 Weddings in 2 Weeks

June has been crazy for us. I previously posted about my friend Leah's wedding. And now I am happy to report that our second wedding went off without any major hitches. I was a bridesmaid in my friend Kara's wedding this past weekend and the wedding was at Camp Wood YMCA in my hometown. It was absolutely gorgeous and couldn't have been a nicer day. While it was windy, it kept it from getting too hot - an important factor since it was an outside wedding. Kara was so beautiful and made it through the weekend with only a few tears ;) (I know you read my blog, Kara, so I'm being generous here on the emotional front lol) Anyhow, I think I finally figured out how to post a link to a facebook album. So here it is:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2022191&id=65100372&l=ba1b38690d

I apologize for the sheer amount of photos. I usually go through and select only the better pictures to post in an online album. But there were so many of them, that it was just easier to hit "select all" and upload them. So enjoy!

Rainy Day

I know most people hate gloomy days. But I actually sort of enjoy them. It gives me a chance to catch up on inside chores and not hate the fact that I'm not outside enjoying the sun. So far this morning I've cleaned up the kitchen, vacuumed, and folded the last of the laundry. All while chasing my son away from the houseplants, dog bowls, trashcan, and laundry area (where he enjoys pulling out all the dryer sheets). You'd think our house would be completely toddler-proofed by now. But there are just some things you can't do away with. We have no other place for our trashcan than sitting out. And I'm sure Zoe would not appreciate having her food and water bowls hidden away in a cabinet....

Another rainy day side effect, my child is already napping by 9:45. Of course, that could also be because he currently has a bit of a bug. High fever over the weekend, not eating much (which is VERY rare for him), and some other health-related things that no one wants to read about. But his cough is probably the most annoying thing for him. Poor guy. I'm sure he'll fine in a couple days though.

The summer wedding season has officially begun. We attended my good friend Leah's wedding this past weekend. I was honored to be one of her bridesmaids and I was very impressed with general calmness. There were quite a few last-minute things to do and she handled them all with much less stress than I expected. The ceremony and reception were beautiful and Leah looked gorgeous. A wonderful day overall and I was so happy to share in Leah and Brian's special day :)

I'm trying to get back into the Wicked series right now. I've read Wicked several times, but haven't gone past that one. And I'm borrowing a friend's copy of Son of A Witch. I started it last night and am looking forward to getting into it. Gregory Maguire's writing and imagination always impresses me. They're good books that aren't just "fluff" if anyone's interested.