"Is it really only nine?"

That seemed like our mantra for the weekend: "Is it really only X o'clock?"

We had a really good visit with J's family, but it was a total whirlwind. We visited and had dinner Friday afternoon/evening when they got here. The kids got up early on Saturday and we took them to the really big local park that the boy and I frequent. It was in the fifties and 30 mph winds so even the Michigan folk were a bit on the chilly side. The kids were beat so they had lunch and hit the hay (for three hour naps! Unheard of!). We went to a local children's museum where we have a family membership and then it was off to a great little Mexican place just a few minutes from our house for dinner.

Before we knew it, it was Sunday morning and we picked up my parents and all went to the zoo. That was really fun for both kids and adults. The boy laughed and yelled "Monkey swinging" when he say the critter doing just that. There is also a really neat bird exhibit called Lory Landing and the boy just loved it. He was a little afraid of the birds at first but then asked us to get him a bird to sit on his arm. I have some good pictures but they are still on the camera, so you are just gonna have to wait. He woke up form his nap today telling me "on my arm" and I asked him if he wanted me to kiss it. "No, Mommy! Birds! Birds on my arm!" He'd been dreaming about it.

Then it was out to the pic-nic tables for lunch and back home for naps. Us girls went out and shopped for a little over an hour - and served as a reminder that I should not talk religion or politics with these people - and then everyone but me went for a walk in the neighborhood so that I could prepare dinner. My parents came over the eat lasagna with us and then bed. Up early this morning to get them on a plane and I was left with a crabby boy, six loads of laundry and some very nice memories. *sigh*

I'll be back with the house tour tomorrow. Goodnight, kids!