John and I, along with some of our neighbors, took off Friday to mulch. The guys arranged everything, which was nice, and we had the mulch delivered on Thursday and were ready to go first thing Friday morning. My neighbor and I walked the kids to school and then started helping the guys (they had started around 8:00). While it was hard work, it felt good to be active and hang out with our friends! It was also fun to watch Josh and Ryan ride around in the Jeep and play basketball and just enjoy the day. Around lunch time I had to feed Colton, so my friend and I went and grabbed Graffiti Burger burgers (LOVE them!) and we all took a lunch break. Around this time the sun came out, which was a very new thing for us here in central Ohio :) Seriously though, it had rained non-stop the entire week, so not only were the dry conditions a breath of fresh air, but the sun was the icing on the cake!
We finished everything around 3:00 – just in time to sit down for a few minutes and then go pick up the kids from school. After we got the kids we got cleaned up and my friend and I headed to the liquor store for some strawberry margarita mix. Because it was the start of Kylie’s birthday-party weekend, and her best friend Rachel was spending the night, she got to pick the meal and wanted tacos and watermelon :) So we turned it into a court dinner and had a huge taco bar with watermelon and strawberry margaritas! Around this time my sister Suzie got into town with her new boyfriend Jarrett. We had actually met him before when we visited her in Michigan (it also happened to be the weekend I told her I was pregnant with Ryan), but it was nice to “re-meet” him! The biggest shock of the weekend happened when Kylie opened her present from Rachel…she got her a retired American Girl doll (Elizabeth)!!! I was so shocked at such an extravagant gift…I had no idea what to say…
We all sat outside and enjoyed the fire and drinks while all the kids played. Because the day had been long and exhausting we all went in pretty early. We played Catch Phrase with the girls and after they went to bed I hung out with Suz and Jarrett a little while longer before going to bed.
The next morning we were up bright and early. John took Josh to football practice and I started getting ready for the party. The sun was out and it was warm and gorgeous outside! My neighbors came over and helped me set up a little later as well as John was quickly mowing the grass.
The party was nice…chips and dips and pizza and cake. John’s sister Jamie and her two kids (Mya and Mason) were there, his parents, my parents, my nephew Carson, Suzie and Jarrett, my sister Cindy, and our neighbors and their kids (Jason and Kate and Brett and Kim). We ate and then Kylie opened presents and then we ate cake and then sat :) People started leaving around 2:00 and our family got started on our dad’s birthday present…his garden! They measured and headed over to Home Depot to get the stuff and then we all got to work. Since it had been raining so much the past week, the grass was a muddy mess down there, but we survived! Around 7:00 I went in to make Dad’s birthday dinner (meatloaf) with Cindy. She ended up giving Colton a bath which was a big help. Kylie had gone over to Rachel’s to spend the night, so at least that was one less child to care for :) I gave Ryan a bath and then Josh came in to take a shower. I fed Ryan and put him to bed (by now it was 9:00). Then all the big people came in and showered and we all sat down to a very late, but very good dinner :) We finished it off with a Dairy Queen Heath bar blizzard cake!
Sunday we got up and went to church and then headed over to Josh’s last football game of the season (he will be playing in the Horseshoe in two weeks, but that’s separate). We were at a local high school so we got to sit in the bleachers and the kids got to play on the turf. My whole family came as well as John’s dad. Joshie had a great game…a bunch of flag pulls and some great catches (one of which resulted in a touchdown).
After the game and after the kids got their trophies and we did the pictures, we went back to our house and we got out the giant waterslide that the kids got for Christmas. We set it up in the backyard, sat out chairs and brought out snacks and the kids had a fabulous time playing in the water, and us adults had a great time sitting around talking. Jarrett was joking with Kylie about her “online dating profile” that he “set up” for her…I guess she wants a guy that does not wear capris, works for her dad, doesn’t wear glasses, and I can’t remember the rest. It was so cute hearing them talk!
Then it was sad time…everyone had to leave :( First Suzie and Jarrett left, and then my dad shortly after that. We stayed outside for a while and then as the storms started coming in, we quickly cleaned up and headed inside. Kylie and I played American Girl dolls for a while and then we ate dinner and the kids went up to bed a little earlier than normal since they had had such a busy weekend.
It was a great weekend…I hate that Suzie lives so far away, but at least she’s close enough for visits! I hope the upcoming Memorial Day weekend is just as much fun, if not more!
1 comment:
It's a darn good thing you took Friday off, wow you had one jammed pack week-end, but look at all you did!! Love the idea of neighbors gathering and working together, eating together etc, it's awesome. Kylie had a great party and that Elizabeth doll, WOW for sure. Go Josh w/ your trophy, yeah. And a garden for your dad??!?!! That is one fantastic gift and one he will cherish forever. Such a caring and devoted family, I love it. And that family pic is awesome as are the rest of them, all the happy smiling faces, well just starts my day of perfectly!!!!
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