Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day Weekend was a great time...  It was our first summer trip to the house (outside of 'opening' it up and cleaning it out), and it was so nice to get back into the laid back routine of life in northeastern Indiana for a few days. 

But first things first:

Would you believe that my first early-morning trip into town to retrieve my coveted cake-with-sprinkles donut from Tom's was a bust!?  There are 2 Tom's Donuts - one at '4 corners' (right along the channel that connects Lake James and Jimmerson Lake), and one on the main road that runs through Angola.  And the second one is ALWAYS out of cake-with-sprinkles donuts by the time I get there (I refuse to patronize their establishment anymore, out of protest).    Anyways, so on Memorial Day we decided it was a donut morning and Mom, Robbie and I piled into the car, as we were the only ones awake at 7am.  We headed to Tom's at 4 corners, hoping they wouldn't be sold out of my donut.  What we saw when we came up over the hill was a line of about 40 people in front of the donut shop!  Apparently everyone else wanted Memorial Day donuts too.  Oh, and no - the line is NEVER this long.  Did that deter us?  The sane answer would be yes.  The real answer is no.  My sweet, blessed mother made me drop her off so that she could stand in line and buy us all donuts - and you KNOW it was mainly because of me and my craving!  Oh the lengths a mom will go for her children.  I was kicking myself for not having a camera with me, you would have thought someone was handing out cash the way people were lined up... 30 minutes later she emerged with a dozen donuts, half of which were cake-with-sprinkles just for me.

Robbie enjoyed getting back out on the boat.  It was such a change from last summer - he used to lay on the seat next to me and just fall asleep to the hum of the motor.  This year he was crawling/cruising around the boat, honking the horn, and always wanting to climb up on grandpa's lap to drive the boat.  We decided it was time to lay down the law and make him wear his lifejacket anytime he was on the boat, which he didn't seem to mind too much (thanks to Neoprene!).

I cannot believe how much bigger / older he looks in this picture (above) compared to last year.

Happy little Livingston family!

Kelsey's boyfriend Dave joined us for a little over a day, and we all really enjoyed meeting him for the first time and getting to know him.  He fit right in with everyone and was fun to have around!

Robbie and I stayed back during the ski runs, since I am just too far along to enjoy riding in the boat for very long / in choppy water / in the heat of the sun.  We would nap, eat, play in the pool, or swing while everyone was gone.  Usually Grandma stayed back with us and those were fun times together, even if they were on land!

We filled the baby pool with warm water, and might have added some bubble bath to kill 2 birds with one stone.  Robbie played in there for a very long time, and had a blast.  He repeatedly put his face in the water when we asked him to!  The tumbler cup provided much entertainment as well, as he tried to pour water over his own head (missing every time) and practiced drinking (pool/bath water) out of it.  

Watching for the boat with Grandma...

Robbie enjoyed breakfast on Grandma's lap, stealing pieces of her donut.

He also couldn't get enough of his uncles and aunt Christine... they would patiently play with him as often as possible.  Here he enjoys erasing on the Magna-Doodle while making his new favorite face - the dirty look.  No idea where it came from, but it's pretty funny.

Showing us that he knows how to climb!  He scales the back of the couch no problem. And the coffee table.

Playing 'smoosh the bug' with Grandpa.

The Livingston Boys... aren't they handsome!?!?

We were really sad to see our time together end.  It went by so quickly, and other highlights included:

- poker night

- playing bags in the driveway

- Ryan learning to ski

- sweet tea from McD's

- fairly calm water 90% of the time, and decent weather too

We certainly missed my brother, Collin, and yet we know that he is right where he needs to be right now - training in Oklahoma City to become an Air Traffic Controller!  :)