The Weekend!

We had such a nice weekend; although, we didn't get to see Rob that much at all. In fact, as I write this, he's still playing in a golf tournament. We miss him so much when he's not around and he's been working a lot lately. Sunday is usually reserved for "family day." He doesn't work on Sundays and we usually do something fun with all of us. His friend asked him to be in a golf tournament that is being held in memory of his father and brother, who both have passed away. Rob accepted the invitation and we definitely understand him being away from us today. But, we still miss him!

So, let me back up to Friday ~~~

My brother went out of town this weekend and asked me if I would keep his children (Brandon and Joshy) overnight, until their Mom could pick them up on Saturday. I gladly accepted and we had a fun night with them. Emily especially loves for them to come over and acts like a little "mommy" to them. She is so loving and nurturing. She definitely reminds me of myself at that age -- always flocking towards the youngest at any gathering. She is just so sweet to them. Ryan is tolerant and tries to be patient, but is not as much, when it comes to the little boys getting into his room, his things, and his personal space!! LOL!! We played games with them, watched "The Wild Thornberry" movie, and ate popcorn. Then, they all bunked-out in Ryan's room. He has the bunk bed and futon, so there is definitely more "sleeping" space in his room. They ended up in bed around 8-ish, and fell asleep pretty quickly.

Rob had to work very early on Saturday morning and said that they were actually all awake around 6:30am. Emily fixed their breakfast for them and I stayed in bed until 7:30. After playing outside and going for a walk, their Mom picked Brandon and Joshy up and we went to Nana and Poppy's (Rob's parents) pool. The water temperature is still a little too cold for me, but Emily and Ryan had a blast.

When Nana came home from work she told us to quickly get in my van and drive to a yard sale around the corner from her house. They had two bikes that she wanted us to look at for Ryan. He has a very small bike that we bought him for his fourth birthday and he has long since outgrown it. He has actually been riding Emily's bike, which is pink and white. So, she thought that she would buy them for him so that we wouldn't have to go out right away and get a brand new bike. With the exception of a little bit of rust, the bikes were in great condition. She bought both of them just in case we needed to use one for parts. The one that he's riding is a red and black Mongoose. He loves it. Then, they gave Emily the bike that has been in their garage for about 4-years, that they had bought at another yard sale, in hopes that their oldest granddaughter (Rob's sister's daughter), would learn to ride. She hasn't learned how to ride a bike and is not interested in learning (she will actually be 13-years old in September), so they let us take that home with us. Emily's pink and white bike is actually a Barbie one and she has definitely outgrown it. This one won't last much longer for her, either, but it was nice to have something for her, too. They were both so excited and I've included pictures of them riding their "new, for them" bikes. Nana and Poppy also got their bikes out and joined in on the fun. Rob came over, after he got off work, and rode his Dad's bike. He even popped some wheelies, but I didn't get a picture of it in time.

Today, after church, we came home and got the bikes out. Emily and Ryan want to ride their bikes to school from now on. So, I got in the van and we did a "trial" run to school. I had to follow in the van, because I don't have a bike, yet. And, I knew that I would have to run to keep up with them -- something that I am not going to do!! LOL!! We live quite a ways from school, so it's not like it's just around the corner. I wanted to make sure that they left in plenty of time to get to school, stopped at every stop sign, knew the rules of the road and crossing guard, and that they were able to get the bikes in the bike rack to lock them up. I will actually be following them to school every morning, because I drive a friend's children to school every day. So, I will be in my van anyway. Also, I pick Hunter up from school, so I will be following them home, too. LOL! They did such a great job and it only took us 4-minutes to get there, which really surprised me! They have been wanting to do this for a long time now, but we knew that Ryan couldn't ride his tiny bike up there and keep up with Emily. After we did that, we played on the playground for a little bit. Then, we rode back home and went to Target. They have both been saving their money and Emily bought a couple of things, in the dollar section. She also bought a "Pucci Purse," that has a stuffed puppy. Ryan bought a Tony Hawk skate park and another package of tech decks (finger skateboards). Now, we are just relaxing at home. Emily is about to go to the pool again, with Sarah. She called and invited her to go to Nana and Poppy's to swim. Ryan didn't want to go, so he is playing with his tech decks. They have been on about six bike rides today!! I really have to get a bike ~~ imagine the weight that I could lose if I went on a bike ride each time that my precious children did! I've been catching up on laundry, though.

Well, that's about it for today. Rob actually just called and told me that the tournament is over. So, he should be home within the hour. We are cooking out for dinner and will enjoy spending the remainder of the day together ~~~ I can't wait!!!

Here are some pictures from the weekend!



Here's Joshy ~

Here's Brandon ~

Here's Emily ~

Here's Ryan ~

Emily taking her 1st plunge-of-the-day ~

Ryan taking his 1st plunge-of-the-day ~

My sweet babies ~

Ryan on his "new, for him" bike ~

Ryan, Poppy, Emily, and Nana ~

Emily, Ryan, and Daddy (Rob had to join in on the fun.) ~