Weekend Fun

Since we came out here in October I have been wanting to do a bonfire down at the beach. Well we tried. Once. And after forgetting many things we finally gave up at the matches. We could've rubbed some sticks together I suppose or run to the nearby restaurant for matches but you only think of these things afterwards and you've got to draw the line somewhere.

That was in October. Wednesday my Mother and I created a bonfire 'list'. We had a little fun creating it, too. She can be obsessively clean sometimes, so when I suggested baby wipes, she suggested a jug of water, at my rolled eyes she added 'and soap', then I brought up a bathtub and we both cracked up laughing.

Together we created the list and on Friday after adjusting it a tad bit I had the perfect bonfire list. With that in hand the boys, Nephew, and I headed out to Safeway to pick up the necessary items and ironed out the details - what beach, what time, what's for dinner. After putting everything together we headed down to the beach at 4pm.

People started trickling in, my Dad picked up Little Caesar's - he showed up with 7 pizzas. I said why?! He said they were cheap and I told him that's why I sent him there. To my suprise enough people ended up being there to eat every last slice! Over the course of the night my brother and his fiancee were there, my sister and her 3 kids, my Big Sis and her son of course, my parents, Hubby, and an employee of my parent's and her son.

Of course we had s'mores. This was the fun part. My brother's fiancee - never had a bonfire before. Ever. She comes from Ireland so that makes sense I guess. Any way I got out the wire hangers and she was fascinated, "What are we going to do with those?" I replied, "Make smores." but when I saw the look on her face, I started explaining in detail well we straighten these out and put marshmallows on the ends and then toast them over the fire. She got so excited "It's just like in the movies!" she says.

Later A and her son showed up and she'd never had a bonfire before either! JMust come from growing up in a beach town. It ended up being really fun to organize a bonfire and have two people there that had never been to one. And because everything was pre-planned, including dinner, it all went really really smoothly and people were free to come and go as they pleased, including us. We actually left a bit early to get our boys showered and to bed at a reasonable time.

Saturday my Dad rented a hotel for us to use the heated pool. Strange I know but he always did this as we were growing up and so I suggested it for all the kids around right now and he did. Him and my Mom ended up staying there that night too so they got something out of the deal too : ) besides just hanging out at the pool all day with all their grandkids. The boys, Hubby, and I went there for a few hours, tuckered the kids out and headed back home. That evening we went out to dinner with Big Sis and Nephew, who'd already eaten but decided to come any way.

Sunday we took Big Sis back to the airport and saw her off. It's been an absolutely gorgeous week the entire time she was her. And last night after the boys and Hubby played tag on the beach and I sat and watched them we drove home and watched the clouds roll in. And by the way Cori, I know exactly what you are talking about now. Driving to the airport yesterday it was sunny and beautiful over here but just as we neared the summit it started getting cold, very cold, and completely foggy. Yuck. We drove back and it was still beautiful and gorgeous here. Crazy. Cori lives just an hour away from me, inland, which I knew so when she asked where do I live that we can go to the beach in January I was wondering if I had read wrong since she lives so close by. It turns out when it's nice here it can be much the opposite there. I had no idea.

We did a ton this weekend but somehow it was all very peaceful and relaxing. Hubby and I observed that we really made sure to do our own thing as a family - yes, we went and did things and participated and had fun and even planned it all, but we made sure to take care of our family needs first and when we needed to go, we did. That worked really well. It wasn't a crazy helter-skelter weekend but it could very easily have been, instead it was a relaxing, very fun weekend.

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This morning I am lying in bed and usually Little Guy climbs into bed beside me and asks to do his sticker book. This morning he climbs into bed and says, "Please we do my sticker book little lady?" Added note: I know Hubby has called me this once or twice in the past though I'm not sure what in reference to. I don't know that he has done it lately so I am wondering where Little Guy got this from. After he said that, I asked him "Am I your little lady?" and he says, "Yes." And later when Hubby came home for lunch and I told him he asked Little Guy who his little lady was and Little Guy points to me. Funny, but adorable.

Yesterday we had the conversation that I've wondered for awhile when we would have it and how it would go. The marriage one. We were headed to the beach where Hubby had proposed to me just to hang out and have some fun. So I told the boys that we were going to the place where Daddy had asked Mommy to marry her. Little Guy asks "Are you going to marry me?" Big Guy interjects, "No. You're too tiny. And I'm too tiny."