2 Playdates..and then some..

Nicole and Mackenzie came over last Thursday night for a "pool party". It was chilly outside, but the girls were determined to play in their little pool. They surprised us and actually played in there for quite awhile. We sat on chairs on the side in sweatshirts and jeans and watching them shiver and have their teeth chatter made us even colder. We ate lasagna for dinner and visited. Adam was actually able to be home with us, as his parks were closed for the week. Nicole and Mackenzie loved our new house and couldn't believe how nice it was.

Linda and Andrea surprised us on Friday night, stopping by on their way back from Brainerd. Adam made enchilada's and rice and they were able to stay and eat with us. We went for a wagon ride and stopped at the park for awhile after they left. There is a cute little park on the top of the hill near our house that the girls both love. It's a quiet little park with things for both the girls to enjoy. We met a little boy named Sam.

Adam had to work on Saturday at a grand opening of a new park/playground in Minneapolis. We were all exhausted and slept in until 9 o'clock. He had to leave at 10, so we didn't get to see much of him. The girls and I did laundry, cleaned up the house, played outside and waited for our friends Sarah, Chase and Owen to come for a play date. They got to our house around 2:30, right when I finally got Lillian down for a nap. It was so nice to see them again. Owen is already 4 months old and we hadn't seen them since he was born. He's so cute and looks a lot like Chase. Alexa and Chase went on super hyper mode when they saw each other - they ran all over the house like crazy. We put their swimsuits on right away and brought them outside to play in the pool. It was much warmer, so the sun had warmed the water a bit. They had tons of fun, playing and jumping in the pool and squirting each other with the squirt guns. We have a small jumper that they were able to play on also.

When Adam got home, Lillian woke up and came out to join the kids. However, she was a little shy at first and since Alexa and Chase were a bit more wild in the pool, she decided to sit by Sarah and I and play with baby Owen instead. Adam set up our little camping canopy so we could have some shade for the baby. We have a wide open yard with no trees for shade, so it gets a bit sunny and warm.

After we noticed the kids starting to wind down a bit, we ordered pizza from our favorite pizza place "Pilot Knob Pizzeria". The kids played and ate so well. So much better than when we were in our townhouse and there wasn't much room for them to run and play - so Chase would get bored and then start picking on Alexa.

I made some cookies for dessert before they left. It was a long day, but a great play date. And hey - I managed to get some sun, so my arms aren't blinding white anymore.

We went for another walk/wagon ride after they left and stopped at the park again for the kids to play. Alexa wasn't able to sleep in her own bed all night for some reason, though. But, I gave her a free pass because the kid across the street was having a Birthday party. They rented one of those huge jumper things (like we had at the girls' party last year) and then decided to light off fireworks at 12:30 am. Crazy! So, I think all the noise was keeping her up.

We all slept in again Sunday morning and again Adam had to work at an event all day. He only has to work 2 weekends this summer and we've already knocked one out. YAY! The girls and I had a good day. We played outside most of the day. We laid a blanket out in the grass and read books, had a picnic lunch out on the deck, swam in the pool. It was in the 80's on Sunday - so perfect pool weather. While Lil napped, Alexa and I washed bedding, blew bubbles, did dishes and read a book. And then when Lillian woke up, we put swim suits back on and they swam and played outside. The neighbors had some family over and 3 little girls came over to play. Alexa was happy to have the company and friends to play with her in the pool. Lillian just sat on my lap and watched. I managed to get pretty sun burnt, also. At 4 o'clock I finally said enough and cleaned up all the pool toys and took the girls in out of the sun and put them right in the tub. I turned the movie Shrek on for them to watch while I made rice hot dish for dinner. We all were pretty exhausted from being out in the sun all day. Adam came home shortly after and we ate dinner. Then took a trip to Home Depot for some brush shears. We have some bushes along the house that have some bad winter kill and I'm trying to cut them back and hopefully save them. The girls fell asleep on the way home, so we were able to put them right in their beds. Adam and I took turns working on the yard. We managed to get the lawn watered and the bushes trimmed all before 11:30. We met the neighbors kitty corner to the right of us while we were out, Mike and Inna. They have a bonfire every Friday night with some families on their side of the street and invited us to join them. They all have kids, too, so we might take them up on it, to meet the other neighbors. So far everyone we've met has been so nice. Gail and Bob behind us are so sweet.

This morning Adam and I went through all of Alexa's field trips for the summer and forked over a nice check for her to participate in them. She had a kick off to summer fun BBQ picnic today, Wednesday she goes to the Old Log Theatre (Treasure Island) and then Friday Adam stays with her for lunch and a game of kick ball for Father's Day. That's just this week, the list goes on. She has her dance recital on Saturday and then starts swimming lessons in July. Busy little girl! I still have to get both girls enrolled in the Summer Reading Program at the library (probably tomorrow night). Soon the concerts in the park will be starting that I know they're going to want to go to!

Whew - HELLO SUMMER!!