Kick Off to Summer

Summer is officially here!  Although I'll be working all summer, I am still excited for the summer break.

Like we do every Memorial Day weekend, we packed our days full of activities and under budgeted.  I always forget just how expensive this weekend is for me.  We had a blast, but now I'm playing catch up in the financial world.  But, God always provides, so I'm keeping the faith.

Friday night started under the stars for an outdoor movie viewing experience celebrating Alex's 11th birthday.  I got off work a little early which was a blessing since I had a lot to do on the home front to prepare.  Earlier in the week, Alex and I did a little shopping for popcorn, soda, candies and all the other fixings for his party.  When I exceeded my allotted budget for the entire weekend in one shopping trip to good old Wal-Mart, I knew we were in trouble.  Nonetheless, I was determined to forge ahead with our plans but just be mindful of the spending.

The movie party turned out to be a big success.  I tried a similar theme a few years ago and it was awful!  The kids were too young to sit still during a movie and the set up and sound just weren't conducive for a successful event.  This year, with the kids a little older and a pretty cool set up at our new house, I couldn't have asked for a better evening.  The weather cooperated although a bit cool.  My brother started a bon-fire in the outdoor fireplace.  The adults gathered around a long patio table and enjoyed cocktails and conversation while the kids played in the yard and enjoyed Alexander and the Terrible, Rotten, No Good, Very Bad Day.  The last guest didn't leave until after midnight which I think is a positive sign that they all enjoyed the party as well.

This, though, left me with very few hours to sleep.  The next morning, I was up by 5:30am to prepare for Alex's early morning baseball game followed by a day trip to Cuivre River.  I woke the kids up around 6:30am with a plan to leave the house no later than 7am.  Things were going as planned, until Alex mentioned he couldn't find his baseball glove.  We went on a full search mission but turned up empty.  We made a few phone calls but the end result was that we believe he left it at the park during the Last Day of School Picnic.  So, that put us about 20 minutes behind schedule and we were lucky to make the game on time.  Alex has a nice glove that he doesn't like but it will now become the glove he will have to use.

The whole drive to the game and pretty much the entire length of the game, it drizzled.  It left me a little baffled as we were supposed to be spending the rest of the day at the beach.  But, just before we departed from the game, the sun broke through the clouds.  It was a beautiful drive the rest of the way to the river and a gorgeous day on the beach.

This is where I go when I need to soothe my soul.

The kids, were not as interested in relaxing on the beach as I was, however.  It took a little bit for them to get into the spirit.  Grace and her "friend" Austin went for a walk and the little ones and I laid out on the big beach blanket.  I think we all dosed off for a bit.  When I woke, there wasn't a cloud in the sky and there was drool down my cheek.  We ate our lunch and the girls started to play in the sand.  Grace and Austin were back so Alex and I took a short hike on the trail around the river.  Once past the swim line, we noticed the water was crystal clear.  A little further down the trail, we found some well placed rocks.  We took advantage of the scenery and went for a little swim.  God's country is beautiful!

Chris and Jenny and their boys met us out there in the afternoon.  They have been good friends of mine for a long time now and it was the perfect way to spend the afternoon.  The kids had a blast playing together and it was nice to have some adult conversation.  We ended the day with delivery pizza and movie while tending to the sunburns we all acquired.  What a great ending to a great day.

Sunday was another jammed packed day.  After mass, we went out to O'Fallon for a backyard bar-b-que with my family at my brother's fiance's house.  They did a great job of hosting and the kids and PawPaw participated in a family kickball game.

 

By Monday, we were all exhausted.  So, we slept in as long as possible.  Then cleaned the house up and hit the store.  I had promised the kids I'd take them to pick out a few new outfits for the summer.  Although I didn't have this money budgeted until early June, I couldn't pass up a 50% off day at our favorite thrift store.  After about an hour of shopping a little hissy fit from each kid, I made our final selection and headed to the check out.  I was starting to get shopping anxiety and was certain I completely blew the budgeted amount for clothes.  I was happily surprised when the total was only $40.  It was definitely worth the reworking of the budget to make the 50% off sale.  And I now feel more confident in the clothing options the kids have for nicer summer events including Mass every Sunday.

At home that afternoon, we took it easy.  I continued to do some cleaning but tried to rest as the next four days at work were going to be a challenge.

Even with the abundance of activities this past weekend, I am still so happy it's summer!