I know I've been "MIA" lately, but things have been busy and I've been enjoying the business.  Here's the first re-cap of the last few weekends.

It's funny how a weekend can be crazy busy and yet relaxing at the same time!   Two weekends ago was one of those.  Friday night, we had absolutely no plans and it was wonderful.  The weather was nice, and almost as soon as Ron got off work, we sat outside on the deck.   The hummingbirds kept us entertained for a very long time---chasing each other away from the red Turk's Cap flowers in the flowerbed around the deck.









(Emmi stayed busy chasing squirrels on the power lines).

We had a simple dinner of grilled chicken and corn on the cob and it was quite yummy!



As a last minute touch, we toasted some marshmallows over the grill and made s'mores for dessert!



Saturday morning, we went running.  The temperatures were in the low 60's and the skies were clear.  It was great!  Ron ran about 9.5 miles with others from his running group.  I'm a little over half-way through my "Ease Into 5K" program,  so it is getting much more challenging for me, too.  After running my program one way, I walked back with one of the ladies from the group, which gave us a chance to get to know each other.

Immediately after running, we took quick showers and then headed to the church to work at the food pantry.  It was crazy busy there, with a long line extending down the sidewalk before we even arrived.  Unfortunately, we were down one worker and one computer, too, so the time flew by.

Finally, we headed down to Cheneyville to visit Dan.  Dan was pretty excited about meeting Ron, and at one point during lunch, he played the part of protective big brother by leaning over the table and asking, "So how is your dating going?".   Dan wowed Ron by repeatedly identifying a variety of songs and artists from the 60's after hearing just the intro to their songs.   It was fun to visit him and to see his friends, too.







(Dan took this one)



The drive home went pretty quickly with both of our phones tuned to the LSU football game---Ron's had the video and mine was plugged into the car speakers for the audio.  Six months ago, who would have thought THAT would be happening in my car?!?!?

Minnows and Mud--Labor Day Wrap-up

DISCLAIMER:  This is a long, picture-heavy post, but wanted to finally wrap up my Labor Day weekend fun.

Sunday morning, the kids began the morning out on the deck, still hoping to catch sight of a frog or perhaps a hummingbird.  Eventually we did see both---a humming bird on the red "Turk's Cap" flowers and a green tree frog on the fence.  Meanwhile, Ron fixed us a nice big breakfast of sausage, eggs and biscuits.  Yum!!



After we all got cleaned up, we went to the duck pond.  I think we could have stayed there for hours and everyone would have been happy, if it were not for the heat.  





We took break to feed the ducks, but Ml and A enjoyed watching---and catching---minnows the best.  We found an old Sprite bottle to serve as an aquarium, and soon it was filled with stinky pond water and 3-4 minnows.











Looking for a more efficient means of fishing, M decided to try squishing bait (bread) onto the end of a stick and using it as a fishing pole.    Not much luck in catching bigger fish, but it kept them entertained for quite some time!



Of course, A had to follow suit!





After getting cleaned up back at the house (we had a few slips into the mud and water), we headed downtown to SciPort.  In the car, A fell asleep, so I waited with her while the others tried out the "tornado tube"  (and acted pretty silly in there, I might add).  



We played in the mud and tried out all of the activities,







then we let the kids run from place to place while the adults worked on a really worthwhile project.





All that work for 30 seconds of excitement!



We really had a great time all weekend, and hated to say "goodbye", but Carmelle and the kids needed to head back home that evening.     I am so glad they came and can't wait until our next adventure!

Labor Day -- Cont.

I'm still trying to catch up on posts from our fun last weekend, so here are a few more pictures.  We had such a good time with Carmelle and her family.  Saturday, we visited Ron's mom--and Tink.









We actually visited his dad, too, but since it was my first time to meet him, I decided not to take my camera inside.

That night we grilled burgers that were quite yummy.
While the food cooked, the kids used tiny flashlights that I had around the house to look for a frog that they'd seen earlier in the day.





After insisting that they'd seen a snake under the deck, Ron checked it out.   Thankfully, it was just a water pipe. ;-)



Adeline was such a great little helper, handing her Papaw the pieces of cheese.





As it got dark, we gave the kids light wands which they had fun with out in the yard.







(with the laptop playing the LSU game, of course).



And in case you ever need to know, light wands can also be used to look for frogs!

Mischief Makers

This past weekend, Ron's daughter, Carmelle and her family came to spend the weekend here.  When they arrived Friday night, A and M became fast friends with Emmi.  They raced around the house, over and over, until Emmi was completely tuckered out.   Saturday morning, we all enjoyed a lazy breakfast (courtesy of Ron mostly) as the kids chatted on phones I dug out of Callie & Jana's closets.





A was fascinated by all things related to Emmi, and spent quite some time peering out the doggie door to keep track of what Emmi was up to.





Shortly afterwards, as the adults sat down to eat, I noticed Emmi had disappeared along with A and M. But, I soon found them!







Emmi has never been allowed on my bed before, so needless to say, she was thrilled!
And to be accompanied by two busy friends made it even better for her.
Jumping or not, it would be just about impossible to get upset with mischief makers that are this cute!!