Tuesday, August 9, 2016

First Weekend In August

I had a fairly low key weekend planned....until I learned that Hubs didn't have to work on Saturday. So we filled our day with fun and naps. Friday night the oldest mini spent the night with his cousin. Hubs, the two other minis, and I ordered Bordy's pizza (it's amazing and a must have if you're in the Des Moines area!) and watched the opening ceremony for the Olympics.


Pizza party in the living room.


Hubs creation didn't withstand the cat on top. Yes, we totally played with the waffle blocks after the minis went to bed.


The two youngest minis were insanely jealous of big brother's sleepover and wanted to have their own sleepovers. Elizabeth got to sleep on the top bunk and Harrison got to sleep in Max's big bed.


Saturday morning we tried something new. Two years ago we went to the National Balloon Classic for the first time and loved it. We went in the evening for their Night Glow. This time we went for the morning competition flight. This required us to wake up at 5 a.m. so we could be in Indianola, IA in time. We stopped for coffee and donuts to get us through the morning. While we were all tired, morning flight was a very beautiful sight to see. I'm not sure if we'll ever do it again, but I had always wanted to see it. Next year we'll probably opt for the Night Glow again.



We met Max and cousin for the balloons. The weather was perfect, actually a bit chilly on this early morning. That's pretty much unheard of for a morning in August!




Tired and chilly wrapped up in a blanket.


Gorgeous skies. You could see the balloons in the distance coming in. It was neat sight to see them come into view better and better. The balloon field was actually a target during the competition race. The balloons had to get as close as they could and then toss bean bags onto a giant X marked on the field. 



Hiding in the blanket.


We got to stand in a hot air balloon basket. It was A LOT smaller than I thought. It looks way bigger from down below.
Since we were up already, after the balloon flight, we stopped by the downtown farmer's market for pupusas, fruit cups, and yellow watermelon. The yellow watermelon was delicious! 



Oh, and a train ride for the minis!



By the time we finished at the farmers market it was.....only 10 a.m. We went home and the minis got to play outside and build with the waffle blocks. Hubs got to do some yard work and I got to run errands by myself. Since I had some no-need-to-rush time I shopped at a few of my favorite local stores. We had leftover pizza for lunch (who doesn't love leftover pizza???) and then my favorite part of the weekend: naps! We all slept 2-4 hours. It was amazing. I haven't had a nap that good in a long time! We ended our Saturday with an evening at Ashworth swimming pool so the minis could practice their strokes their learning at lessons. Ashworth is by far my favorite pool in Des Moines.


Sunday morning we slept in a bit (by we, I mean Hubs and I. The kids were up at normal time but put a movie on to watch). We spent time with extended family at my aunt and uncle's house with the Slip N Slide. The kids have a blast sliding down the hill--even better when we coat the Slip N Slide in Dawn dishsoap!




She reminded me of ET with her town over her head like that!

We also got to visit my parent's new adopted dog Rudy. The minis aren't dog lovers and get very nervous around dogs, but Rudy was amazing with them. When I was 12, we got a golden retriever puppy named Bella. She was seriously the best dog ever! She was amazing and I've never liked dogs much after her because she put every dog to shame. However, Rudy may come in a close second behind Bella. He was definitely a dog made for kids!

I love the weekends that end with an accomplished feeling. Not only did we get to try new things, but we got errands ran, the house cleaned, and laundry caught up. I feel such a sense of relief when I can start the week fully ready to go.