Happy Weekend

First off, I forgot my camera (Doh!)) so I have zero pictures of our fun birthday-bash get-away. I'll have to paint you pictures with words instead.

I like to plan special fun things for my family. I have the habit of building it up in my mind and always ending up disappointed because nothing ever turns out as good as what I imagine. Knowing this, I still decided to plan a mini-vacation this weekend to celebrate Katie, Chris, and Levi's birthdays. Their birthdays all fell within the two weeks since we moved and very little celebrating has been going on. We needed to do something fun. Something away from the mud and boxes and clutter.

I booked a room in a nice hotel nearby that has an indoor pool. (Rain...) I packed for me and Levi, told the girls to pack for overnight and bring their swimsuits and told the kids to all be ready by 10:30 am. Chris stayed behind to work on a project and would meet up with us later. We loaded presents and bags into the car and headed to the mall. We hit Build-A-Bear first, where levi made a birthday monkey and Katie and Ash made bears for PBJ and Ahren. We ordered a cookie cake from the cookie place. We shopped and bought each kid a special new outfit to wear to dinner. We had lunch, laughed, spent way too much money (Chris, I hope you don't read this....;-) and got Ashley's hair cut. (She was looking might shaggy and that girl has more hair than Charlie's Angels combined) We picked up the cookie at 3:30 and headed to the hotel. There was swimming and more laughing and Chris met us, then dinner at Chili's (Yum!). We went back to the hotel where Chris had brought 2 dozen balloons. We opened presents, swam some more, ate cookie cake and watched TV all together. No one got much sleep, though. Katie and Ashley slept together on the sofa bed and that just didn't work well. Levi slept with me and Chris and that didn't work well.

So all in all it was a good time. Not perfect, but happy. We ate the next morning and headed to church. We spent the rest of the day working around the house. I finally got the computers set up at home so we have internet access. Whooohooo! I also finally got the stupid pool set up and filled. It had become personal by now. It was me against the pool. I was not going to lose! I kicked that pool's butt!!! Of course it is storming all day today and no one can use the pool. But, it is up and full. Hah!