What a weekend!

We’ve been very busy this weekend. We’ve been busy having FUN! (This is a REALLY long post, so hang in there!)

We’ll start with this past Thursday night, when Andy and I headed down to Summerfest to check out O.A.R. with some friends. It was packed, but we were able to claim a section of a picnic table so we had our dance floor! It was a perfect night for an outdoor concert, and we had a ton of fun.

This year marks 15 years since Andy and I graduated from high school (yes, the same class at the same school-we’re high school sweethearts). Friday morning the boys and I started the festivities at a local playground with other graduates and their kids. Despite my kids’ chronic tattling about unimportant issues, we had a good time.

Friday afternoon, I dropped the boys off at Andy’s parents’ house and took some pictures of her pond. The boys had a great time trying to find tadpoles. Then I went home and I was able to take a long nap to prepare for our high school reunion. Heavenly! And in the evening, we headed downtown for the party. The reunion was held in the basement bar area of a restaurant. It was a fairly small turn-out, but we had a really good time. With Facebook, it’s been easier to keep up with what classmates have been doing for the past 5 years since our last reunion, but it was nice to talk face-to-face. I’m really glad we went. (I just realized I took 2 pictures that whole night, and one of them is of four of us who still see each other somewhat regularly! Sad!)

Saturday morning, I woke up entirely too early, feeling not-so-great. But after breakfast from McDonald’s, we picked up the boys and had a lazy early afternoon. Noah helped me make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies before resting for a bit. Then I took the boys over to my parents’ house. Their neighbor was having a party to celebrate her 70th birthday and they’d rented a bounce house and an inflatable water slide. They were gracious enough to invite my kids over to enjoy the fun. The boys had a really great time bouncing, playing with bubbles, and playing with the beanbag toss. That night, we had pizza and watched “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian”. It was a nice quiet night.

(I love Noah’s face here!)

(Notice Noah and my dad both have their tongues sticking out! Family trait, I guess!)

Sunday morning, the boys played outside, Andy mowed the lawn, I ran to the grocery store, and we prepared for our afternoon at the lake. Our friend Becky’s parents live on a lake near here and every year they host a wonderful 4th of July picnic. We are lucky enough to be included in the fun, and we really look forward to it each year. We made our way out there around 2:30, and found whitecaps on the lake! It’s not a really big lake, but it was so windy, there were waves that came crashing onto the rocks on the shore. It didn’t keep the kids from swimming, though! And we were able to sit by the lake and not melt. It would have been way too hot and humid if it hadn’t been windy. One very short rain shower drove us into the shed for about 5 minutes, and then we were able to enjoy the day.

The boys had a great time splashing in the lake-until we noticed Noah’s back. He was covered in hives! It didn’t affect anyone else that was in the water, so we’re not exactly sure what happened. But thank goodness Becky is a pediatrician and was able to give us the correct dosage of Benadryl for Noah. It was his first experience with swallowing a pill. Becky’s mom was ready to wrap the pill in a piece of cheese, until Becky’s dad reminded her that Noah’s not a dog! (They have two golden retrievers who take pills wrapped in cheese.) I coached Noah on how to take the pill-put the pill in your mouth, then take a little drink of water and swallow it down. He didn’t quite get it on the first try. The pill ended up in the water bottle! But he got it on the second shot, and I was really proud of him. Then I helped him take a quick shower to get anything off his skin that he may continue to react to, and he was ready to go.

The rest of the afternoon went off without a hitch. Dinner was delicious, the company was the best, and the kids played together wonderfully. As evening rolled around, we dressed to get ready to head out on the pontoon boat to watch the fireworks. There were plenty of smaller firework displays from lake residents that kept the attention of the kids before the real show. And the real show didn’t disappoint! Noah sat with Andy for a bit, then headed to the back of the boat to watch. Caden snuggled up with me to watch, fingers in his ears to block the sound, and fell asleep about half-way through the show, with his fingers still in his ears! He slept through the big finale, (which was quite loud), slept as Andy carried him up the many stairs from the boat to the house, slept as Andy buckled him into the car, slept the whole way home, slept as I carried him upstairs and took him to the bathroom, slept as I changed him into his jammies, and slept until the morning!

Today was parade day. I picked up my parents and we staked out our seats about 1.5 hours before the parade start. It was a bit steamy, but still some great weather, considering it was supposed to rain today. Andy brought the boys to meet us, and Andy’s mom joined us as well. We always love the parade. The boys raked in the candy, and I danced with the Badger Band. Noah had a good time taking pictures. Like mother, like son!

After the parade, Andy’s mom took the boys back to her house (she was planning to do that because I was supposed to work this afternoon but due to low hospital census, I didn’t need to go in) so Andy and I had the afternoon to ourselves. I took another nap (awesome!), and then we decided to play 9 holes of golf. It was pretty nice weather, despite getting drizzled on a bit, and for my first round in about 1.5 years, I did okay.

It was a very busy weekend, but so much fun. We’re trying to make the most of our summer, and I think we’re doing a pretty good job!