Birthday

Last month, I was blessed by my family and enjoyed a great 38th birthday. There were signs...

Remember this sign from last year? It came back out for the month. :) 

There were flowers...

Special lunch and ice cream parfaits with Grammy & Poppy...

(a perfect birthday dessert since I don't like cake)

And then the boys enjoyed an overnight at Grammy & Poppy's so Darin and I could go out on a date. 

After some football in the front yard with the boys and my parents, 

I drove off to meet Darin footloose and fancy free.

If only I could have slowed down the time... it was morning before I knew it!

We were very glad to see our little cherubs at Luke's basketball game in the morning. :) 

Kid-free 21 hours!

A couple weeks ago, I reluctantly asked my parents to keep the boys overnight. Ever since my parents moved to Virginia I've been very cautious about asking them to watch the boys. They love being with them, but are not overly eager to have them fully in their care.  Or at least that's my perception. :) I also want to respect their new routines and busy schedule, so I don't ask. (And yes, my parents have quickly found some very dear friends, a church, bridge groups, choir, fitness club, etc.! They are quite social!) Anyway, I threw caution to the wind and asked for an overnight expecting a "maybe" but most likely a "no."

And they said, "It's a possibility." Which later turned into "yes." Hooray!!

So a week ago Friday, we ate supper with them at their new house, got the boys tucked in bed and drove away. Our only instructions were, "Jill, no school work!" and "Darin, no painting!" It was the first time we had this opportunity in almost 5 years!! The last time we went away overnight I was pregnant with Aaron. We had a dinner meeting with Darin's co-workers out of town so I had to share our time. I'm not very good at sharing. ;)

This time, our kid-free 21 hours was absolutely wonderful. I loved not being on mom duty around the clock. I loved talking and listening to Darin. I loved dreaming together. I loved having the time together. We took a day trip to a nearby town to do some shopping for a new kitchen table. (We've outgrown our table intended for 2... by at least 3!) And while we didn't make a purchase, it was such a terrific day. We were just together. Sometimes in silence. Ahh... silence feels so good when I'm used to shrieking boys! And I have to be honest, I didn't miss my sweet boys until almost dinner time the next day. I feel just slightly guilty about that... but I did check in and all was going really well.

When we arrived back at supper time on Saturday night, I expected the boys to come running with wide open arms. But, they didn't. They said hello and then boldly told us, "I'm not going home." "I didn't even pack my bags. I'm staying another night!" Luke even said, "I'm staying all week!" Hmmm... is that okay Grammy and Poppy? Maybe next time boys.

So watch out Grammy and Poppy! This Momma is ready for another kid free 21 hours and maybe next time we can make it 48?? Pretty please?? Thank you! Thank you! 

Coordinated

One of the treats of having my parents closer is that they can join us for birthday dinners. 

 Ethan specifically called and asked Poppy to match him by wearing a gray shirt. 

 It was a coincidence though that everyone else was wearing blue. 

Although, it's not all that shocking if you look in our closets. We have a LOT of blue. :)

I was the odd one out in coral. :) Luke was determined to sneak in 

the picture on this side of the table too. 

We were quite a silly bunch celebrating birthday's!

Another Road Trip

We hit the road early Saturday morning for our last trip to my childhood home in New Jersey. Luke and Ethan came with me and Aaron stayed behind with Darin for a little divide and conquer. 

 I had some happy passengers. Luke followed our route 

most of the way with our car atlas. This was a pleasant surprise. 

This cute boy was SO excited and chattered non-stop for the first hour or more. 

He was left behind the last time and was so glad to be along for the ride. 

My parents have officially moved to Virginia, but negotiations are still in the works on their New Jersey home. It's been a blessing to have this extra time to gather their belongings of 40+ years. 

My mom found a box full of old trophies that belonged to my brothers and the boys were delighted. 

They spent a lot of time in their "fort" in the forsythia bush with the trophies. 

On Monday morning, I scurried through the house taking photos and saying goodbye to the home 

I lived in from birth until college. It was built in 1820 and has lots of character. 

My parents have done a LOT to update it over the years. 

Had to get a photo of my childhood bedroom, although it used to be pepto bismol pink when I was a kid! (Maybe that's why I don't like pink?) It didn't have the closet or built in bookcases when I was growing up. My parents added that within the last couple years. 

While the bedrooms are pretty small, the downstairs has some really cool 

features that I was able to really appreciate with the rooms empty. 

 The dining room.  I love that floor! There is actually a fireplace not shown in this picture. 

 living room - My parents added this room and the basement below it in the 80's. 

The family room. (My grandpa built the bookcases, right Jeffrey?)

It was a crazy busy weekend of packing and cleaning, but I'm glad I got to visit one last time! 

(And boy was I glad to sleep in my bed Monday night after sleeping on an 

air mattress on the floor for two nights!)

Spring Break Adventures

We enjoyed several day trips to nearby parks, gardens, etc. for spring break this year. 

It was the first year of home schooling that we've actually taken a full week off. 

It turned out to be perfect timing in light of our family visiting, although it has been a 

little tough to get back into the swing of things this week! So glad it's Friday! :)

Botanical Gardens

 Aaron and cousin R 

So glad we made it past all the water without any of my boys falling/jumping in!

 Aaron, Luke and cousin R in the gorgeous orchid exhibit. (Ethan was not in the mood for photos!)

 sweet little poser

This "stick house" sculpture was amazing!

Beautiful sister-in-law and sweet baby girl

Climbing boys!

Day trip to the beach. This was very hard for the boys to understand. The only time we've ever gone to the beach is for a vacation when it's hot. They were wondering where the beach house was and couldn't understand why I didn't want them to go IN the water. (It was upper 60's and windy.) We had a great time, but there were many moments that tested my pitiful patience. :]

Example of tested patience: Ethan decided to jump in the water and then promptly drop to the ground and roll around until he was fully covered with sand. We had no access to showers or bathrooms and you can be sure that within moments he was shivering from the wind. I was prepared to let him experience discomfort from his poor choice, but lucky for him Grammy came to the rescue and shared her towel to dry him off and change him into warmer clothes. 

Climbing Wall:  This was probably my favorite outing because it made the boys so happy. If you've been reading this blog before you know that Luke and Ethan love climbing. I was thrilled to for them to have this opportunity and even more thrilled that my brother Jonathan and his wife Sarah could be with us. They both have extensive climbing experience. They met long ago at the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and have done lots of climbing through the years. They were able to coach the boys and belay them as they climbed to the top. The boys had NO fear and boldly climbed the wall. 

Luke climbing to the top!

At the conclusion of his first climb! Happy boy!

Even 4 year old cousin R did a great job climbing!

We had two on-site sitters so Darin and I could keep our eyes on the climbers. 

Thanks Grammy and Poppy!

Ethan was SO excited!

All Together

The weekend of Palm Sunday, both my brothers and their families and my family gathered at my parents new house to celebrate their new location and to enjoy one another. There were 7 kids and 8 adults. Here are some photos from the weekend. The weather was fabulous for outdoor play. The kids played soccer, rode bikes, played with trucks and tractors and ran around.

cousin B on the tractor

 cousin A ready for our Sunday meal

We discovered a little friend on the wood pile that captured a lot of attention!

Six of the grandkids getting a peak at the wood pile snake from a safe distance.  

dyeing eggs on the deck

Ready for the egg hunt!

Sometimes the shorter kids found the eggs intended for the big kids. :)

 the egg/spoon race

Thankful for this weekend with family. I just wish it didn't go by so quickly!

Oh Canada!

Last Thursday, we welcomed my brother, sister-in-law and their two girls from Canada. 

They came to visit and help get Grammy and Poppy settled. 

We are so excited to have them here and staying with us. 

This seven month old is such a sweet heart! I'm getting my baby fix. :)

 We continue to spend a lot of time at Grammy and Poppy's after we 

complete our school work helping them to get unpacked and settled. 

Here are some happy boys entertaining themselves on the front porch.

My niece is four years old and loves to make flower (weed) bouquets. 

We are loving having two little girls to add to all the boy craziness around here. 

These two are becoming such buddies!

 comparing foot sizes

 tickling toes

playing house under the coffee table