We finally had a commitment free weekend! No packing, no house projects (if we didn't want to do them, but we did, so we did one), no place we had to be. It was spectacular! We didn't completely get away without adulting, but there was some fun stuff too!
We officially said goodbye to our home of (nearly) six and a half years. We got out the last few loads of junk, cleaned it up, and handed over the keys. As we closed the doors for the final times, I caught a glimpse of this wall in the sunlight after we had taken everything off. You can faintly see our: [life is simple] eat. sleep. play. repeat. That was completely the motto while we lived there. That house saw so much happiness, laughter, growth, and change. I can only hope it's loved as much as we loved it.
We made it out to the Flower, Lawn, and Garden Show to see a sculpture by local artist Randy Schnebbe that featured some of the oldest mini's artwork. While that was our main purpose for visiting, we saw a lot of other neat things. The minis favorite was the train systems. Apparently we now have plans to do the tour of trains in June, where you go to various backyards in Central Iowa to see what they have created.
His drawing (that was turned into part of the sculpture) was the mountains "because we love mountains."
We were asked to get this T-Rex for our garden so they could play Jurassic Park. I then broke the news to them that the garden is off limits to playing. Suddenly they didn't want to the T-Rex.
Yep, a trip (or two) to the hardware store. Good news: we spent less than $1,000. Cool news: we've got all of the materials for upcoming house projects. Bad news: there goes our free time.
We rewarded good behavior at Menard's with a trip to Colby Park before going to the grocery store, heading home for dinner, a walk around the neighborhood, and bedtime.
One of our adventure days wouldn't be complete without one screaming kid who has to be carried to the car...
She recovered from the tantrum quickly so she could ride Henry the Horse at HyVee. #priorities
Sunday included cleaning up the deck (somewhat), building a closet system for the boy's closet, doing a bit of yard clean up, doing laundry, and playing hard (for the youngest two minis).
I've got big plans for this corner of the backyard (pictured above). Stay tuned to see how this will become a fun and messy play area!
Lunch on the deck on a gorgeous day!
It was in the sixties, so obviously that means you march inside, grab your swimming suit, put it on, and go play in the sandbox, all without saying a word to your parents about it, who were right there watching the confidence pouring out of her.
The glass doors were removed, the wall cleaned up, and the closet system built (wooden shelves both up and down and a bar to hang the clothes). This little project took all day, but it turned out great!
For dinner we grilled brats and hot dogs and ate fresh veggies. Chips were for "dessert." I told each mini to take a handful and pass the bag.....I failed to mention how many handfuls. For the record, no one else had issues understanding one handful except the middle mini.
This upcoming weekend we're planning on doing some more playing and maybe a project around the house....we'll have to see what we come up with!