A weekend of fun!

Every once in awhile, a weekend gets packed to the max, and it leaves me wondering, "What were we thinking?" Last time we were crazy busy, I had planned a yard sale on the day we poured our concrete driveway. That was interesting...this weekend was just plain fun (and a little exhausting).

First up on the list was our friends visiting from Oregon on Friday. Catching up with them was a great start to the weekend. We are trying our best to make it a yearly tradition of getting together for a few days. They have 2 little ones, and it's so much fun to be around their young family (and hold their 3 month old baby as much as possible).

Saturday was Elliot's birthday. My big 7 year old got a nice big bike.

Comparing the old bike to the new one.

Then we had his very first "friend's party" at the bowling alley. We were lucky enough to have a joint party with our good friend Ivy.

If the day had ended there, it would have been a full day, but oh no, we were headed to another party. Mark's 20th high school reunion was in just 2 short hours. Barley enough time to go home, pretend to get all gussied up, drop the kids off, and go socialize.

My parents house makes for a gorgeous background.

It felt a little like taking pictures before a dance.

The official photo.

The reunion was so much fun! I found a great group of wives to socialize with all evening while Mark was free to reunite with old pals.

But the fun doesn't stop there kids. On Sunday, after a farewell lunch with the Dotsons, we geared up for a "family" birthday party for El.

I'm not a baker, but I saw this idea for a cake and knew right away that I had to try it.

Just in case your family isn't Lego crazy, that's supposed to resemble a Lego block, and three little "studs". I'm not sure exactly what the little ones are called, but on Lego-Star Wars, they are referred to as studs, thus they have taken on that name in our household.

How many boys does it take to fill a gumball machine?
Evidently 4!

Whew, we made it through and not just by the skin of our teeth. Mark and I were very tired at the end of the weekend, but also happy to have done all that we did. It was a good time of friends, family, good weather, oh and Legos!

Time

July is a busy month for us this year. We have 2 birthdays, Mark's 20th reunion, movie nights, ice cream eating, pools to play in... where does the time go?

This year, Elliot will turn 7. SEVEN! I remember when we had been married 7 years and thinking that was a long time. Now my baby, my last, my little boy is 7. Please bear with me as I sit with that thought for just a minute.

Another milestone is my 35th birthday. When I turned 30, it wasn't that big of a deal. I'd felt 30 for quite a few years already. My number was finally catching up to my mental age. Now though, 35 seems old. I look in the mirror and see a few more wrinkles, a little bit deeper dark circles, and (gasp) those dreaded gray hairs.

But here's the thing: my husband looks at me and sees the 16 year old girl he met those long years ago. He sees our life together up to this point, and our many years to come.

So, I guess I have to ask myself, What's wrong with the extra smile lines? What's wrong with the dark circles? I know I don't look 25 anymore, but that's okay. I wouldn't trade that time for anything!

Elliot so eloquently put it this way, "Mom, do you want to know your future? You will have good boys who will grow up to be good people who love you."