Labor Day weekend

Saturday

Rather than go somewhere Labor Day weekend, we did day trips.  Saturday we were supposed to go to the beach with Mike's family, but at last minute plans were changed so we headed up to a neat park about a half hour near a dam that has a huge play area and an icy cold wading pool.  

We barbecued, let the kids run around and play, and had a good time (minus the 1/2 hour Kiwi spent whining, crying, and refusing to do anything, but doesn't it go without saying that every family adventure with children is going to have at least some sort of meltdown?)

Our attempt at getting a picture of all six R. family grandchildren.  They are ages 6,5,4,3,1, and two months.  There is never a dull moment when these cousins get together.  The four oldest can get a little crazy at times, but overall they get along great and really love each other. I am grateful that my children have cousins they can grow up with (now I just need to get my sister to move back here so all of their cousins would be close).  

This little dude starting walking about three weeks ago and he is unstoppable.  He knows where he wants to go, he knows he can get to where he wants to go, and as long as nobody gets in his way (like mean mommy keeping him from falling off an edge) he is a happy boy.  

There is about a half a mile hike that goes down to a look out point where you can see the dam that Mike and I took our kids on.  The kids had been looking forward to this little hike and it almost didn't happen (remember above mention of serious meltdown) but luckily our girl was able to pull it together and we were able to complete the hike.  Although a short hike, it is completely uphill on the way back and Kiwi and Little Man didn't complain at all.  We have done a few hikes this summer and I love that they (mostly Kiwi, Little Man was already a pretty good hiker) are getting stronger and that they enjoy being outside so much.  

Now we just have to get this little guy hiking...

After the hike, we stopped at a little ice cream place that was recommended to us by my brother in law.  It was really cute with a 1950s diner feel and with all their ice cream made with milk from a local dairy. The kids got ice cream and Mike and I each got a delicious shake.  I would definitely go back again.

Sunday
Sunday evening we met my cousin and his family, Mike and Paula, and Marcus out at my uncle's property.  We had considered camping there, but didn't because honestly I am a little bit of a wimp when it comes to camping with a baby.  To me it sounded much more enjoyable to stay for all the fun stuff and then drive a half an hour back home and sleep in our own comfy beds all night.  Mike was feeling the same way, so we decided to just go for the evening and skip the overnight part.  My uncle and aunt also stopped by with their kids and it was fun to visit with them.

The "big" boys.  

The really big boys seeing who could throw rocks the farthest.  

Kiwi.  She goes not so much for the distance, but for the size of the splash.  

My little family.  

We walked by the river, had dinner, went on a walk to a little waterfall, did a campfire, roasted marshmallows and then settled in to tell some stories around the campfire.  

      I told a story where I inserted all the kids names into a story where they go on a hike and they keep hearing these noises.  All the kids around the campfire were mesmerized as a I told it.  Gaining momentum and feeling like the cool mom, I added a little dramatic flair making the "boom, boom, boom" noise get louder as the story went on.  I ended by whispering, "What was that?" and then yelled, "Boo!"  And that was it.  No monsters, no scary animals, just a surprise ending. Boo was the scariest thing I said the whole story.  Kiwi, however, was in hysterics and Little Man wasn't very happy either.   We didn't last much longer after that before loading the kids in the van.  Maybe I shouldn't try to be cool mom again anytime soon.

      Up until the little story mishap, it had been a really enjoyable evening though.  I just think we may need to do some campfire training before taking them on a real camping trip next year....

Monday

Monday was the annual D Family Fun Run where members of my extended family get together at a lake and time ourselves as we run or walk around the 1.4  mile loop.  It's awesome.  This year, it was more about the kids than the adults as the younger generation is getting more into it.  Mike ran with Little Man and I pushed Kiwi and Mason in the stroller for a little bit and than ran next to Kiwi for the rest of it, because she wanted to get out and run also.  

My dad explaining the race.  My favorite part of this picture is Marcus in the background.  There is no such thing as a recreational run for him.  His goal was to set a family record (yes, we keep track of and record our times) so fast that no one in any future generation will be able to break it.  He did run a blistering time breaking his own record, but nine year old Jacob is running the same times Marcus did as a nine year old, so we will see how long it stands.  

Kiwi and Mason getting ready to start. 

        Tuesday was the last day of summer before school started and although we had planned on going to the lake with some friends, I looked at my kids Tuesday morning and knew we needed a stay at home day.  So we stayed home and I let the kids play, Mason slept, we went to a neighborhood park, and got ready for our back to school dinner that night. 

        The kids wanted breakfast for dinner for their back to school meal so we did omelets and homemade cinnamon rolls.  We made medals for the students to wear, decorated the kitchen with pictures and books and talked about how important learning and going to school is.  It was nothing fancy, but the kids enjoyed it and I hope that it is something we will continue to do every year.