The Weekend...a little late

Due to the lack of "my own time" lately I've had to post the weekend activities a little late. Even as I do it, my youngest is sitting in my lap (the only place she wants to be at this stage).

Before I begin, I, like all of my friends who have posted before me, would like to thank the service men and women of our country who give of themselves to guarantee our freedom. We, as Americans, can never repay you for your sacrifice but we honor you this weekend and every weekend.

I went to my mom's house this last week to get in one more hang out time before they went to Hawaii for the next 2 weeks and she had bought these bug "houses" for the kids. We were laughing because Tyler filled his with worms and then proceeded to walk around the yard with his worm "necklace" of which he was so proud. As most of you loyal readers know, I graduated with a degree in graphic design/art. I just wanted to show you what that looks like in this stage of my life. Please tell me you know what this is...

It's a bird's nest complete with eggs, baby bird and mommy and daddy bird. The best part is that I did it in under 2 minutes....all that education for this. *sigh*

But on to more interesting things. My Aunt Nancy and Uncle Gary came into town for the weekend to drive my cousin back home from college so they stayed the weekend here and then we celebrated Cheryl's birthday on Saturday. Aunt Nancy was my lifesaver and put Lynnea to sleep. For some reason, it's hard for the one who provides the milk 24/7 to put a baby to sleep. Something about the baby wanting to eat all the time..hmmm...

Along with a yummy grilled hot dog dinner, wagon rides outside in the backyard and a delicious chocolate birthday cake made by Cara in the shape of a camera, Cheryl opened her gifts from all of us. It was fun to be with everyone, especially when we found out that our cousin Julie had her baby while we were together. What a fun memory!

Here's Uncle Gary with Mikayla. My kids love Uncle Gary!

In other weekend happenings, I actually attempted some manual labor! Will and I have been wanting to finish our backyard and all that we have left is the corner (sitting area) and the side yard. For a few hours, we finally got out there and raked, shoveled and weeded those areas and the result looks pretty good. Our plan is to cover it with a weed-stop carpet and then cover that with rocks. Hopefully it comes out how I've planned it.
The side yard. In the end it will have berry bushes, a vegetable garden and a storage shed. We have high expectactions.. =)Playhouses were on sale this weekend at Toys R Us so we finally broke down and bought one. I really wanted the kids to have a playhouse outside but they were so expensive. When we got this one for only $199, we knew it was a great deal and will be used for years to come. It will eventually go in the sitting area but, for now, it sits on our back patio.

We had a great weekend. I can't believe it's already Thursday and almost the end of the week. It's that day off that makes the week fly by I guess.

On Tuesday, I went out to my sister's house and babysat her 2 boys so she could get her hair done. It was a lot of fun to be with the boys since I hadn't spent a lot of alone time with them. The kids all play together really well but, I must say, 5 kids under the age of 5 is a little overwhelming at lunchtime. I felt like I was a waitress at a busy restaurant! I had a good time but it is reassurance that I'm done with 3...