Labor Day 2011

For Labor Day weekend, we drove to my parent's house in Alabama. On the way out, we stayed in a hotel in Arkansas to break up the drive. It worked out pretty well. We got two adjoining rooms so we could put the kids to bed in one room (well, Piper was in our room). They all three slept the whole night; we left the door open between the rooms. As Ben said, next time we might even be able to all sleep in one room! We probably could have done it this time except there was an expected amount of giggling and settling down in one room that would have woken up Piper in the other room. We had picked Lila up from school on Thursday afternoon, so Friday we drove the rest of the way to AL and got there in time for supper. Saturday dawned sunny and beautiful. We had been accustomed to 100+ degree weather, so to have a high in the 80s felt glorious!

We began the morning with pancakes for breakfast. Grandpa even took shape requests! Wyatt wanted Mickey Mouse.

When we talked to them a few days before we came, Grandpa told Lila he had some fun things for them when we got there. She wanted to know what they were, and he said it was a surprise. So the whole weekend she kept asking if there were any more surprises :) Well, surprise #1 was m&m's on her Minnie Mouse pancake for eyes.

Piper was happy to sit in the high chair and eat Cheerios.

Next surprise: a new sandbox! Grandpa thought they would enjoy filling the sandbox too, so he waited for their help. He had sifted the sand to get rid of any twigs, etc. and kept it in this trash can so it wouldn't get wet.

Lila also enjoyed putting the bird feeders out.

Here is Wyatt pouring the sand in the sandbox. Once it got about halfway full, though, Grandpa lost all of his helpers. They decided they had enough to play!

Lila came in to see what Piper was up to.

I couldn't resist sitting Piper on this cute little chair.

Yes, someone was right there to catch her should she lose her balance. And yes, she didn't stay up there very long. But how cute is that chair? Or the baby? :)

Checking out another antiquity at Grandma's house: the baby doll Grandma played with when she was a little girl.

Meanwhile, the outdoor crew was busy playing.

It was starting to get warm... don't know if you can see the sweat rolling down Wyatt's face. The sand was really fine so a little cloud would rise whenever sand was poured. So when they did come in, they were hot, sweaty and dusty. Wyatt didn't mind.

This Tonka truck was my brother's when he was a boy. I remember playing with my Dad's old toys when we would visit my grandparents. There is something so fun about an old toy made new.

They started out in the shade, but by this point it was sunny. We came in shortly after this. I had contacted some friends of ours that moved to Tennessee five years ago. They live about 2 hours from my parents, so I asked them if they would be willing to drive down to see us. Fortunately for us, they agreed. 

My mom went above and beyond and put out a very nice spread for dinner. The kids had fun playing in the pool and yard. The last time we were all together, Lila was a baby, and so was Clark (left). 

Now we are each a family of five. It was fun to meet their other two boys and see how everyone has grown.

Don't they have a beautiful family? They asked if I'd take a picture of their family, and I was happy to do so!

At first the kids were a little shy with each other, but by the end they were chasing each other and having a great time. When it was time to leave, Lila and Clark gave each other a hug without anyone prompting them. It was so sweet!

It's a good thing Piper (usually) likes Lila's attentions because she doesn't have much choice about it.

Here Ben had a blanket on his head and was reaching out to tickle whatever he could touch. Needless to say, there was a LOT of giggling going on!

Then Grandpa gave some horsey rides.

Lila got a turn too.

The architects with their cabin.

Grandma reading a book with Wyatt.

My parents have a refrigerator in their basement and anytime anyone had to go down there to get something, either Wyatt or Lila wanted to go along!

Sunday brought a change in weather. Rain moved into the area. Luckily, we had packed along our new rain boots.

Wyatt in his fireman rain boots.

It was a nice steady drizzle.

They each got their own umbrella to hold.

Fun stomping in the rain on the deck.

Lila can always find the flowers.

Grandpa came outside, and they decided to see if they could find a bigger puddle to jump in.

This picture reminds me of a mama duck with her ducklings!

In the front street, they found a little river of rainwater to splash in. Fun, fun! (Note: if you are splashing in boots and shorts, the water will just go right into the top of the boot. So they don't really keep your feet dry. But it was fun.) I was staying dry on the front porch, so this was the closest picture I got.

Grandma and Piper

Random shot of the three kids

Piper wasn't really sure what was going on.

Standing by my chair.

Rainy days meant inside activities, like coloring.

Lila decided she wanted to make some thank you "cards" to send to our friends, the Loftons, who had visited.

The morning of our long drive back home, Grandma fed Piper some breakfast.

One last time to feed the birds. After they filled the bird feeder, they spread some seed in the yard.

When the rain came, it also turned COLD. So cold, we had to make a trip to the store to buy some pants for the kids since I hadn't brought any along. Who knew when we left 100 degree heat, we'd end up in 60 degree weather?? Not me. But we still had a great time! We even survived the full day's drive home!