Memorial Day Weekend, 2018

Memorial Day Weekend has been spent with these dear friends for many years now!  It's a tradition.  The food pretty much stays the same every year and we all know which is "our bedroom".  It's so fun to get together with these families and we love it that we get to see each other at least once a year!  :)))  We did miss JR and Linda and their family this year!!! 

 

We had a really busy week at school with it starting with Matthew and Ashlyn's classes going to Skyzone.  Then it was track n field and field trip days for both of them.  Getting ready for a weekend away is always extra work to so by Friday night, we were happy to be at this Hidden Hollow Getaway Cabin!!! 

 

Friday night the guys got started on some Acquire games and us ladies sat and fussed in the living room.  We don't get to see each other near like we did years ago but the friendships are still strong!  We didn't get to bed until 2 AM because we were up just chatting!

 

On Saturday, it was a warm, nice day at the cabin!  Suz and I went to a nearby thrift store for fun.  Normally, the guys go out for a golf game on Saturday mornings but this year they decided to not go.  I guess Suz and I thought it was our turn to go out a little bit.  When we got back, us ladies sat in the sun and shade and enjoyed the company.  We really tried to keep the children out of the small creek this year because it seems to bring in so much extra dirt into the cabin.  They played on the swing set a lot more.  That night we all sat around the campfire roasting smores and laughing as couples!!!

 

Sunday was another good day at the cabin!!!  Martha Rose always has something fun for the kids to do.  It was water balloons and small gifts for each one!  She totally made their day!

 

 
Here come the water balloons!!!

Sierra had Austin right by her side to help him with the water balloons but even though I stressed that if he gets hit by a balloon and gets wet, he shouldn't cry.  Yep, OK mom was his response.

 

These two are in school together and they really had a great time at the cabin!!!

 

But after the first balloon hit Austin, here was the reaction!!!

And of course, the dads had to get involved with the fun too!\

Close your eyes and grab another balloon!!!  What fun!

Martha gave the boys each a smoke bomb and some poppers.  See the orange smoke?

Here's the cabin we enjoy so much each year!!!

Matthew took Benson along this year as his friend!  These two boys are a set and love to be together!!!  They took their hover boards along and rode them.  They laughed and enjoyed having a bedroom and bathroom all to themselves.  Thanks Benson for joining us on this long, fun weekend.

More cabin views.

This game ... Acquire has become "the game" for most of the men on this trip!  They play one game after the next with at least one heated discussion per game.  They play games while us ladies sit and drink coffee and interact with the kids and serve food.  It's so fun!

And here our 2018 Ladies photo.  We said over and over again how we missed JR and Linda not being with us and especially on things like taking our picture.  We do this every year and we have changed quit a bit over the years!  We considered not even taking a photo because Linda wouldn't be on it but it was the now and then so we went for it!!!  Matthew took the photo and these ladies are such a blast to be with!!!

The food is so amazing every year!!!  JR and Ruthie grill steaks and chicken with all the fixings, plus!  This year Dave smoked a pork butt on the smoker instead of JR's BBQ chicken.  It's always eggs, pancakes and fruit for breakfast!  And then smores around the campfire are always yummy!

Ashlyn took some beads along to make bracelets but it wasn't until Martha Rose gave all the girls this bead variety to play with that the girls started threading string!  It entertained them for a long time!  Again, she's so thoughtful!!!

More Acquire!

This afternoon it was time to clean things up and head back home.  It was another fun, wonderful weekend with this group of friends!!!

And when we came home, we unpacked and went straight to work!  The grass was high and needed a mowing.  Mike went for more gas and then hopped on the mower!  He mowed this time and blew the driveway.  Meanwhile, Ashlyn ran out to see her kitties and check on the garden.  She picked a small amount of strawberries and we are so excited to have these ripening in our gardens!!!  Austin rode on his tractor and jeep!  Matthew finished up some homework and then got into his baseball suit and hit some balls with Mike before heading off to his 8:30 game.  I started laundry and went to the garden to to pull weeds and finish picking the red berries!  Then I went to pick up Ginger at Sadie's and got the children ready for bed!  We had late nights and a fun weekend and so it was a good idea to get to bed early tonight!!!  Hadassah was not with us at the cabin this weekend and I'm ready to see her again!!!  She's out with some youth tonight but I can't wait to see her and talk her soon!!!

This girl in her own little world!!!

Mike walked out with my camera and got a few snap shots of Ashlyn!  And excuse the weeds in the flower bed!  We have landscapers lined up to come and take away the stumps and plant grass instead of the flower bed!!!  Good things just take time you know!

Ashlyn's picking ...

And then I went out to finish picking the rest of them for our first round of berries!!!  They are so yummy and delicious!!!

We are so excited to have fresh strawberries!!!  Strawberry shortcake was requested for me to make first thing in the morning so that this girl can have some in her lunch!  :)))

Our weekend at the cabin was great!!!  Come home to berries and fresh cut grass and now pulling our bed covers up to our chins is going to fell amazing!!!

Happy Memorial Day!!!  Thank you troops!!!

Track N Field Days ...

We started out with a weather forecast that called for rains and thunderstorms in the afternoon.  I took a quick look at my emails just to make sure the days events weren't getting canceled.  I totally understand that at the end of the school year, you just gotta stick to the calendar events and hope for the best.  That's what happened for the middle school track n field day.  I did call my mom and asked if Austin could stay with her while I sit out in the rains to watch Matthew do track!  That seemed to be a wise choice so thanks mom for watching him and for making it fun for him to be with you!  Austin came back with a new bat and ball, candy, drink and a slim jim.  He loved his outing with "mommy".

Meanwhile at school, I watched Matthew do high jump in the gym.  They moved from the wet grounds into the gym!

(I just noticed that I took a few videos of Matthew jumping but only one picture.  But here it is!)  :)

Then we went outside and pulled out the umbrellas and blankets.  Matthew did well with long jump too.  I love to watch this event because it's what I liked to do when I was a kid.  And because Hadassah was great at it with she was in middle school, I'm naturally gonna cheer and watch the jumpers!!!

Then it started to down pour and rain buckets!!!  Everyone went running for cover and middle school track n field got canceled for the rest of the day.  Elementary is having their track tomorrow and the middle school will just finish up tomorrow too.

Ashlyn was on the green team this year.  She was so excited for this day and do great in all of her events!!!  The day was sunny and so beautiful for these outdoor events.

This is my family blog and so I try to post our "real life" stories!  This track n field day was SO busy that my head was literally spinning by late afternoon.  I just know that when I'm in my 90's, I'll look back at days like these and wish for a tiny bit on this energy!!! 

Hadassah left me know at 6:30 AM that she needs a ride to school.  This usually means that I need to take her to Rachel's house and car pull from there.  We left the house by 7:35.  I rushed back to finish getting the other school kids ready plus Austin and I because we were all spending the day at school to watch track n field.  Ginger needed to come along to because after I dropped them off at school by 8:15, I took Ginger to Petsmart for a haircut.  I tried to change this appointment but nothing else was really working out and it needed to be done.  Austin and I went back to school to watch Ashlyn run and Matthew finish up his tracks from the rain out day yesterday.

We ate a packed lunch at school and at noon I needed to go pick up Ginger again and take her home.  I grabbed Matthew's backpack at home too because he needs it for the afternoon classes at school.  When I got back to school, I missed Ashlyn's long jump but was there for her 50, 100 and 200 Meter runs!!!  Austin fell asleep on the way back to school and so a little nap was good for him!!! 

 

 After lunch we moved down to the tracks and cheered as Ashlyn ran!!!

 

Austin was cheering for the green team but sometimes for the blue team because he wore a blue shirt.  He was also upset that he couldn't run with Ashlyn.  He wants to do the things she does and it's so cute to see their sister/brother relationship thrive!

 

We stayed till the end and then brought the kids along home.  Mathew needed to get changed and go right out to the car wash and get the mowing started.  He didn't mow last week because of all the rains we had and it was in need big time of some mowing!!!  When I dropped him off, he had a soda can and I told him not to let it outside because a bee could go in it.  He unlocked the utility room at the car wash and the alarm starts going off just as I swiped my credit card to wash off the Yukon!!!  He came running and I quickly stopped the car wash (I was hand washing it) and called Uncle John for help!!!  He told me the code and we were all good before the police were called out!!!  I swiped my card again to start the wash for the Yukon.

By now, Hadassah was texting me and saying to get home because she wants me to change her car battery.  Her and Jess wanted to go to the park and through balls.  Me???  I don't know how to change a car battery!  The car battery went dead a few weeks ago and Mike bought a new battery and had it setting in the garage.  Well, I just got a call from the neighboring hardware store saying that our weeder is fixed and working and now ready for pick up.  I thought that if I swing by for that maybe one of the Amish men could come along home and switch out the battery!  Bingo!!!  It worked great!  The girls were soon off to the park and I was quickly trying to make a quick supper and then go pick up Matthew again.  I'm sure my neighbors think I'm nuts some days.  Our Yukon just goes up and down our street so many times!!!  Matthew wasn't finished when I went out.  The girls were back home and Hadassah's class had a social that night at 6 PM in Honey Brook.  Mike was working at the church all afternoon which just happens to be in Honey Brook, so he met us there since our family was invited to come to the class social too.  My head was spinning and after some quick baths and a few bites of sausage, we were all off to pick up Matthew at the car wash and head to Honey Brook.  I was tired and so ready to sit down and do nothing!!!

On the way, Hadassah was driving and suddenly all the Yukon lights on the dashboard lite up.  What was this???  I told her that if this ever happens to her car, it's a warning that something isn't right.  We made it to the social about an hour and half late because we waited for Matthew to finish up the yard!!!  When we went to leave, the Yukon barely started!!!  Good grief!!!!!  What now?

We got it hooked up to Dave's charger and I ended up driving Mike's truck home with the little ones because it was getting late and they were tired.  Especially Ashlyn.  She had track n field that day!  Mike and Hadassah stayed till the Yukon was charged a bit and then they made a pit stop at my parents on the way home for another charge.  Mike needed gas so after stopping at the gas station just up from my parents, they again stopped at Dad's for another charge.  They made it home after calling me at 11:30 PM asking me to come pick them up at the garage!!!  They drove the Yukon to the garage which thankfully is just down the street and so I went to pick them up!!!  By midnight, we were so ready to get to bed and get rest!!!!

It was an eventful day to say the least but all was well!!!  No one got hurt!  We had energy to make it through and the day was a success!!!