Sweet summer weekends

So I know it's not technically summer yet, but with temperatures in the 80's I am just jumping over 'spring' and heading right to 'summer'. And this weekend was the perfect start to our summer. Robbie's preschool is technically over, save for one last hurrah at a park on Wednesday this coming week with his classmates. Summer, it is.

The weekend before Memorial Day weekend is always the biggest for yard/garage sales, at least in this area. My sweet friend Kacey and I met up across town and scoured a neighborhood-wide garage sale together. We each found picnic tables for our kids and matching scooters for our girls. (Why not?!) I thought I was more of a lone-shopper kind of girl, but garage-saling with a friend is so much fun. I took the kids out to my mom's for the rest of the day so that we could check out her neighborhood's sales as well. We found a great backyard playhouse and a bike for Ellie, and my sister and Elle were my shopping buddies for that one. After mom's lasagna dinner (sooo delicious!) we jammied up the kids and headed home for bed.

Saturday morning I took Ellie to the French Market with me for donuts and vegetables. She is getting so old and loves when it's "Just you and me, mom?!". She said that about 100 times while we were out together, always with a smile and a reach for my hand. Mima came out and stayed with the kids while Rob and I slipped out to look at furniture, which afforded us time to actually talk about the important stuff that's going on without interruption. I'm so thankful for those conversations now that they are hard to squeeze in on a daily basis.

Saturday evening we met our friends Matt and Liz and their little boy Peter at a park for a pizza picnic dinner. It was Liz's fabulous idea and it was such a great way to enjoy that perfect time of day! It was warm but not hot, we had full bellies and happy kids, and the dads pushed the babies in swings while the moms laid on the picnic blanket and talked. Liz and Matt are new friends and we love having this family in our lives. 

Maddie shows her affection for Matt, while Ellie and Robbie fussed over Peter and made him laugh.

We all laughed about the way Maddie sits back on her bum, sort of like a lazy cat all hunched over. I'm not sure if you can really tell from this picture, but maybe I should encourage better posture like Peter is demonstrating?! She is such a funny little kook.

Quite the pair... and you know I'm not above arranging marriages for my children.

Don't let these sitting pictures fool you. Cakes repeatedly stood up on her own and took 2 or 3 steps before falling into our arms. I think she was trying to impress Peter! This weekend definitely marks 'First Steps' for the babe.

"OOooooOOOooo!!" Sweet, happy, loving little Peter.

Oops, out of order. Before we left for the park I bathed Ellie (her hair is a magnet for sticky anything and was a mess). We blew dry her hair and she wanted a little more girly-time so I put a ponytail in her hair and fishtail braided it. She loved it. Then I might have let her have a little shimmer on her eyelids and sorbet lip gloss. She was so thrilled!

Sunday morning - Rob went for a run as the kids were waking up. I made a pot of coffee and Ellie helped me make french toast. And as I type all of this, I realize in one short weekend she has become my shadow, taking pleasure in doing anything and everything with me. Love.

A great morning at church, zero tears from the kids on the way in and out, and naps after lunch for the girls and Rob while I snuck out for a pedicure (incidentally, Robbie went to town in our bedroom with my lavender pillow spray while we thought he was sleeping). It's a stinky house as a result, but a happy one. And now we're looking forward to wrapping up the weekend with a BBQ at a friend's house tonight.

Can every weekend be this wonderful?