Memorial Day Weekend Recap!

Happy long weekend! Here’s a little peek at how we’ve been staying busy…

Friday was the older boys’ last morning of preschool for the year. Gibbs goes on to Kindergarten in the fall and Casey will return for his second year of preschool. I snapped a few photos of all of my boys as we were headed out the door on Friday morning for the final ceremony.

Gibbs was given the “Awesome Architect” award (because he loves building anything and everything!) and Casey was given the “Adorable Artist” award. Both very appropriate!!

After school, we returned home for lunch, coloring, work in the garden, and a visit from my mother-in-law.

{inspecting their first cucumber of the season!}

{little baby fuzzy peaches!}

In the evening we took the kids out to dinner to celebrate the end of their school year. Their restaurant of choice was Buffalo Wild Wings in Culpeper, so that’s exactly where we headed.

While we waited for our burgers, chicken tenders, pizza, fries, and other healthy fare to arrive, Spence worked on his artistic masterpiece (and chewed on a few crayons while he was at it). The older boys had fun with Casey’s new Lite Brite, which he received from his grandmother as a birthday gift.

After a cold treat at Sweet Frog, we headed home for baths and bed!

Saturday morning was a GORGEOUS spring day! The weather was sunny, clear, and just slightly cool.

There were no soccer games on the schedule this weekend (holiday!), so Keith spent the first part of the morning mowing the grass while the two older boys played outside.

Meanwhile, Spence and I went out to run our usual Saturday morning errands…starting at the Farmer’s Market.

This week’s haul included:

• Baby lettuce greens
• Microgreens
• Green onions
• Strawberries
• Broccoli
• Tomatoes
• A dill plant
• Monster cookies
• Snap peas
• Cinnamon Swirl bread
• Eggs

Then we headed off to Yoder’s Country Market to return our milk bottles and pick up a few other items on our list (lunch meat, avocados, bananas, etc.).

When we returned home, I changed the sheets on the boys’ beds and packed up some snacks before we were off on our next outing.

We met a bunch of our friends at Rounton Farm for a fundraiser event.

Many of the kids’ friends from school were there, as well as plenty of dogs and artists. We left Molly at home — I try to simplify my life, not add to the chaos.

The boys spent a very small amount of time sculpting dogs out of clay, but otherwise ran around with their buddies for the rest of the morning.

There was a 1-mile walking loop that took us through a meadow and down to a pond, and it was the perfect day to be outside. So pretty!!

After all of the activity, we were hungry and ready for lunch. We made a quick stop at Subway on the way home, where everyone devoured their food. Gibbs finished a footlong turkey sub, plus a bag of chips, and then announced that he might not need dinner later that night! Hah. I knew he’d be hungry again in an hour or two, and sure enough he was eating a yogurt by 2:30 p.m.

Spence took a nap almost as soon as we got home, while Gibbs and Casey played lacrosse outside with Keith. I spent some time indoors folding laundry, uploading these photos, and writing a meal plan for the week.

By mid-afternoon, Spence was awake again and we were off on our next mission: a quick trip to Walmart for some cleaning supplies and other odds and ends. Casey and Spencer and I did the Walmart shopping while Gibbs and Keith went next door to Lowes.

The boys were very excited to see that a nice lady was scooping out ice cream sundaes for free! Perfect entertainment for about 3 seconds…

Then Keith and Gibbs arrived with Hawaiian shaved ice for the group (they bought it from a stand in the Walmart parking lot!). Just what we needed…more sugar.

At home, the boys played with cars on the front porch while I literally put my feet up on the porch swing. My leg still gets sore after being up and about too much (post-surgery).

Spence was so excited to see that the farmer across the street was making hay! Do you see the tractor and baler that he’s pointing at?

Here it is a little bit closer! No matter how many times they see a tractor, it just never gets old for a toddler boy…

Meanwhile, Keith worked on fencing in our gardens. A bunny (or two) has been nibbling on our strawberries!!! Not cool.

Then the crew was getting tired and hungry, so Keith made some barbecued chicken on the grill, while I threw together a Kitchen Sink Salad (using up some of everything in the vegetable drawer — avocado, onion, snap peas, corn, lettuce from the garden, tomatoes…).

and I thawed some mini blueberry muffins to have on the side. Dinner was delicious, minus Spencer’s crying fit through most of the meal. He was so tired and hungry he could hardly function.

And for dessert, one of these bars. The kids love them, too!

Then it was time for baths, bed, and SLEEP. Lots of fresh air makes for some very tired kids (and parents).

This morning we woke up to another beautiful day.

We started with breakfast (duh).

Everyone loved this Cinnamon Swirl Bread that I bought  at the Farmer’s Market yesterday, which was SO good with a cup of coffee, some berries, and yogurt. The boys went back for seconds and that loaf is just about gone.

Then Keith headed out to do some yard work while the older two boys worked on their light saber skills.

When it was time for a break, Gibbs and Casey put together a Lego set,

while Spence “helped” me make this Red, White, and Blueberry Salad to have with dinner tonight. I also snapped some photos for the blog…recipe coming soon!

More yard work included sawing and stacking wood. Keith can’t wait for these guys to be teenagers…a constant source of manual labor!

I also got some help in the kitchen with a batch of French Toast Muffins. I think that he just really wants to be able to lick the spatula!

After a quick lunch (leftovers from last night’s dinner for me and Keith; mac & cheese, apples, and milk for the boys), we put Spence down for a nap and the older boys had quiet time in their rooms.

While they rested, so did Keith and I! He napped on the couch while I sat nearby and edited some photos on my laptop.

Once Spencer woke up, we were off and running again!

We headed over to the nearby Graves Mill Trail for a quick and easy hike.

It’s flat, cool, and shady. Perfect for little feet!

The path runs along the Rapidan River, so there are plenty of opportunities for rock throwing, which all of the boys love (including Keith)…

After our hike we made a pit stop at the Wolftown Country Store for ice cream.

So old-school!

And when we arrived home 5 minutes later, the boys were on a sugar high…and ready to run it off with some lacrosse in the yard.

Now I’m off to shower and get dinner ready. It’s Memorial Day weekend, so Keith is grilling some hamburgers, I bought potato salad, and I’m serving the Red, White, and Blueberry Salad that I made earlier this morning. Easy! Enjoy the holiday tomorrow, friends!