another June Saturday

In the morning, we went to a National Get Outdoors Day event where the boys got to go fishing for the first time...

...and Owen caught his first fish! 

Then in the evening,  we went on a double date where you will just have to believe we went to dinner and a movie with another couple because I only got one picture (this one) and we didn't even get this one until late at night after we go home!

 

How did you spend your Saturday?

a June Saturday-- 5K on a Hot and Sticky Day

This day-- this June Saturday-- was one of those days that was stuffed to the gills with a satisfying mix of both accomplishment and fun.

I ran my second 5K.  We awoke to a sweaty, muggy kind  of day, but the race was early in the morning before the heat became too oppressive.  Unlike the last time, all the kids came, too,  to watch and cheer me on. 

before the race

This was an out and back trail so I was able to pace myself until I got to the halfway mark and then give it my extra effort on the way back.  I managed to pass quite a few runners in the second half.  The lady in the yellow shirt (in the photo below)  ran beside me for most of the last mile until she finally pulled ahead at the end.  

I forgot to get my official time, but my iPod said I ran a 9:42 pace per mile.  I even placed third in my age group of women 30-39.  The man who won was also the winner at my first 5K.  He said that this course was harder because there was an incline unlike most races in our area that are flat. 

Looking a little less chipper post-race

After going home for a quick shower, we went back out for a celebratory lunch at a pizza restaurant we've been meaning to try since we moved to this town two years ago.  

Then it was back home to get to work.  Oh, but wait, we took another hour to play 2 rounds of Bocce ball first. 

Then we got to work.  We gave Finn (the dog) a bath, raked out and washed out his dog pen which took a long time and was extremely stinky work, pulled weeds, and watered the trees and rose bushes Brian planted a few weeks ago.  

 After another clean-up and round of showers, we went back out to grab ice cream for dinner (!).

 

Plus we needed to buy a shade tarp for the dog's pen so it was a good excuse.  When we got back home, Ben and Alaine were exhausted.  They snuggled up in bed (a "slum" party, as Alaine called it) and listened to a story on CD while they drifted off.  

Brian went back outside to fasten the tarp to the dog's pen while I made a batch of cookies for a homemade ice cream party we're going to tomorrow.  Oh, and did I mention I did three loads of laundry in between all the other goings on of the day?!  I'm tired just thinking about it. 

What did you do this weekend?  Any Sunday plans? 

Mother's Day on Saturday

We planned a big dinner for Brian's family on the evening before Mother's Day.  Really, it was just another excuse for us all to get together.  I love family get togethers! 

In the week leading up to the party, the kids and I did a little cleaning.  We did a little cooking.  We did a little decorating.

sewn paper banner

It was so much fun adding bright, cheerful colors to the decor.  I made this banner cheaply and quickly on my sewing machine with scrapbook paper and white thread.  For the centerpiece we bought three potted tulip plants that also doubled as gifts for the mothers. 

I removed the pink paper from the middle one and put it in a yellow bowl to match our color scheme. 

The card was inspired by one in the Craft-a-Day book I picked up at the library and then didn't want to return-- the one I simply must own soon!

I did a little panicking when I found out Brian had to work Saturday and wouldn't be home to help with any last minute preparations!  As it turned out, a few hours after he got to work, it started raining so he was able to come home early. The sun was shining brightly again by party time.

Posing in our party clothes

Before I did any inviting, I brainstormed ideas for a meal that could feed 20 people.  I didn't want to commit and then panic trying to find a dish large enough to feed us all.  I don't consider myself to be much of a cook (I'd much rather bake!), but Brian suggested we order fried chicken so that's what we did.  Each family contributed side dishes to the meal and we had a lovely variety of food. 

We feasted on chicken, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, green beans, rolls, and sweet potato biscuits. 

It probably sounds cheesy, but we also feasted on great conversation and fellowship-- laughing, telling stories, and catching up.

Giggling cousins

For dessert, we shared brownies and chocolate chip cookies, plus a pineapple birthday cake since my sister-in-law's, Carrie, shares her birthday with Mother's Day this year. 

mini pennant to match the wall banner

Before everyone left to go home, we snapped a few group pictures. 

Brian's brother, Mark; their mom; Brian; Brian's sister, Amy

Grandma with 12 of her 15 grandchildren--
notice the posing girls and the face-making boys!

The 4 moms

We plan to spend Mother's Day at home eating leftovers and relaxing (well, aside for the 5-mile run I hope to do in the afternoon). The kids have asked if we can play a few games and the Survivor finale is on tomorrow night, too.  It's shaping up to be a great end to the weekend!

Did you do anything special for Mother's Day? 

A May Weekend

Last week, I lived life as a single mom, being the sole parent from wake-up to bedtime, while Brian worked crazy long hours.  It was all in an effort to get his work to a point where he could take a long weekend off so the two of us could grab a weekend away without the kids. 

It was a vacation for everyone because the kids got to spend the whole weekend with their grandparents and aunts.  I'm not sure who was more excited about the weekend-- the kids or us! 

Taken just seconds after Alaine had a toddler breakdown and collapsed on the bottom step
because there wasn't room for her on the top step with the rest of the group!

The highlight of our Friday was a nice dinner out.  I probably speak for moms of young children everywhere when I say it was a luxury to eat an entire meal without cutting someone's food, spooning food into someone's mouth, telling someone to sit down, or hearing, "Do I have to eat this?  Can I be done now?"  Plus, I didn't have to cook it!

On Saturday, we spent the entire day (10am-10pm!) at an amusement park.  It was cold, windy, and cloudy, but it kept the crowds away and we loved every minute of it.  We are both huge roller coaster riders and we managed to ride 9 coasters a total of 25 times!  

305 feet in the air with a 85 degree drop!

Brian drew the line at a few rides, though.  I went on the Drop Tower (a 272-foot, 72 mph free fall) alone and he stayed on the ground to take pictures while I rode this:

On Sunday we drove home, but we did stop at a large yard sale/flea market where we scored 38 books for a dime a piece. 

How did you spend your weekend?  Have you ever taken a weekend away without kids?

A (Rescheduled) April Saturday

Okay, so it's not Saturday anymore, but Saturday was one of those days that was so full, there wasn't time to write about it! I had intended to write this post on a January Saturday, but we had a couple of inches of snow.  Then we rescheduled for a February Saturday and it rained.  March?  Same story-- torrential rain.  We had almost given up when we tentatively made plans for this late April Saturday, but we awoke to brilliant blue skies, near-perfect temperatures, and a light breeze. 

On this rescheduled April Saturday, we got a new swing set!

When we moved into our house (almost 2 years ago to the day), a friend gave us a wooden swing set that was sitting unused in her backyard.  There were a few rotten boards and it needed a roof, but we got a lot of mileage out of that set.  One of Brian's winter projects was to fix it up so we could eke a few more years out of it.  That is, until other friends who live a few miles down the road called and offered their kids' outgrown swing set to us if we could find a way to transfer it to our house.  Mission accepted! 

Right before that January Saturday, Brian and the kids took the other swing set apart to make room in our yard for the new one, but since plans changed, our yard sat empty all winter and early spring. 

But like I said, on this rescheduled April Saturday, the weather was just right. 

It's not hard for me to come up with an excuse to try a new dessert so while the men were hauling and dragging and nailing, I baked a batch of coconut chocolate chip cookies to accompany the lunch we served the hungry workers.  I love a chewy cookie and these were exactly that!

 

More construction in the afternoon...



I even took advantage of the sunny afternoon and went for a 5-mile run.  I earned my first sunburn, too.

By this point, we could have called it a day, but evening was still to come and Maddie and I had plans to go to a musical put on by a local Christian school.  Last year they performed Annie and this year it was The Music Man. 

We met a group of other ladies there, but it was so well-attended that we ended up sitting in pairs all around the room.  After the show there was time for autographs and few pictures.

posing with "Professor Hill"

"Marion Paroo" signing autographs

How did you fill your weekend? 

a Double-Decker April Saturday

Today was the day-- the day I have been working toward for six months.  Today I ran my 1st 5K. 

With 2/3 of my cheering section
(Brian was taking the photo and my 3 littlest stayed at home in the warmth with my sister)

This was quite momentous for me because when I decided to start running 6 months ago, I couldn't run for 60 seconds before I was out of breath.

My goal for today was 2-fold.  I wanted to run the entire 3.1 miles without stopping to walk and I wanted to complete the course in 31 minutes (a 10 minute per mile pace). 

The halfway point-- still smiling!

Having never run in a large race before, I didn't account for the congestion at the beginning of the race.  With over 200 racers, after the shout of GO!, it was 10-15 seconds before I moved at all and 3-4 minutes before I could begin to run at my pace. Once I got going, though, running with other people was far more exhilarating than running alone. 

Approaching the finish line-- the smile was fading and I was tired!

I completed the race with a time of 31 minutes, 16 seconds and I did not start walking until after I crossed the finish line.  Having always been an indoor girl who would rather read a book than do any sort of exercise, I am surprising myself by saying that I've already started to look for another race in an attempt to better my time. 

So we could call it a day, right? 

Well, no, we were home by lunchtime and ready to move on to the next event on this special Saturday.  In the late afternoon, Brian's sister and her family came over for an early dinner and a night of games. 

The adults enjoyed a round of Dutch Blitz, our standard game every time we get together. Then we laughed our way through several rounds of Apples to Apples.  The kids played a highly competitive version of  Disney Scene It where the boys' team won twice in a row, much to the girls' dismay!   

How did you spend your Saturday?