Breathe, two, three, four...

Whew! What a weekend! Things around here are 100 mph and I am a bit tired from the running! We had a great weekend, but VERY busy, luckily with all fun things!

Friday evening, after making my toy holder (see previous post), I went out back to check on the boys. Norman was out there in his shop, but I like to keep tabs when Norman might be distracted. I found all three in the side yard -
Thomas had made them a "fort" and they were all out there playing. They call it their "Hunting Fort" and you have to pretend not to see them when they are in it. We all hung out in the backyard til long after dark. We have a TON of caterpillars and, upon request, Norman built a bug box with screen for the boys to put some caterpillars in. I have no pictures, however, as all the "pillars" died and Benjamin wants nothing more to do with the bug box. Oh well!

Saturday we spent most of the day (11:30-4:30) at Meadow Farm Crump Park's annual Sheep to Shawl event. They take visitors from watching the sheep get shorn, to cleaning and carding the wool, dying it, and then spinning it! A very cool event. Thomas was there volunteering for the day. Now, you ask, what kind of work could this manly boy possibly do in keeping with the theme? Especially a young man who, the day before, carried ON AND ON about the hard, physical labor of picking up sticks and putting them in the wheelbarrow?!?! What, you ask? Why, splitting logs, of course! With wedges and sledgehammers and axes and log dogs, no less! NO chainsaws, no modern help at all! Sheer physical labor! For 5 hours! Which he LOVED and kept at LONG after all the other young volunteers in his group had moved on! You just never can tell!

While Thomas worked and chatted with visitors, the little ones kept Norman, Grandpa, and I busy...."Come on, let's go! I want to go THAT way!"

"NO, I'm NOT going to smile! I'm being a nasty guy!""Water, or juice? Decisions, decisions!"

We were all tired Saturday evening, and had a very low key evening. By Sunday, however, after doing papers, we packed up our picnic supplies and headed for Kings Dominion for the day! We met our friends there - Kris and her 6 kids; Susan, Brian and their 2 kids; and Cindy and her son! Can I just say that a group of 12 kids, 5 of whom were in strollers, and 6 adults WILL elicit stares from people as you are trying to navigate through the theme park! We all had a great time, lots of sun and fun! Thomas rode the BIG rides he hasn't been anxious to get on til now, like the Volcano and the Flight of Fear, and Benjamin rode a bunch of rides! Poor Max fell asleep after the big kid rides and the Carousel, so he only got to ride a couple things, but luckily, he's too little to understand he got the short end of the stick this time!

The most amusing ride of the day, other than Norman and I's foray into Go-Kart racing, was Benjamin on the kiddie bumper cars. I couldn't get great pictures, but the child just SO didn't get it! He went around and around and around all in a circle, and each time he would get bumped, had the cutest wrinkled brow "What in the world was THAT for?" expression on his face. I was hysterically laughing, it was SO funny! The pictures just don't capture it, but he had fun and we just laughed and laughed!"Oohh! THAT'S gonna leave a mark!"

Max did get a chance to be a passenger in the monster trucks! I think he likes this being driven around thing!

We did stay til close, at 8:00, went back to the van and got the kids changed, cleaned up, and then they had a snack in the van. They fell asleep in the van on the way home and we all headed to an early bedtime!

Today we will try to get back onto our "normal" schedule, and get some of the more mundane tasks of life completed - dishes, laundry, etc. We do get to go to Mom and Rich's for dinner tonight, though, so that will be happy! Hope your day is a great one!!