my weekend went a little something like this.....

i got to take a nap, only a few hours after waking up. naps are always good, eh? albeit short, still good.

then around noon-ish, this beautiful lady----my sister-in-law, cindy arrived at my house (picture taken in Jan 2007) with 2 of her 3 children.


we spent a little while chatting while i was still in a nap induced fog while the kids turned into little monkeys giddy with excitement over being able to see each other again. then we had lunch and the kids swam while doug and cindy chatted and i stayed inside, for the next two hours snuggling this doll. once they were done swimming, they started coloring and emma kept running between her color crayons at the kitchen table and the chair i was sitting in---she kept stealing kisses from jenna. so sweet.



after our visit, we all crashed for 2 hours to get some energy to go on a 2-mile night guided hike at one of the MetroParks in our area that was having a Firefly Fascination hike. it was a rather interesting experience and very informative. we learned:

• Fireflies aren't flies, they are in the beetle family, yet they don't have a hard shell like bettles.
• There are 31 different types of fireflies, 24 of those types can be found in Franklin County.
• Only the male fireflies fly. The females stay on the ground.
• The most abundant firefly is called the Big Dipper and they fly and flash in a "J" pattern.
• There only purpose is to find a mate and reproduce. Once the female lays her eggs, she dies.
• The larvae stay in the soil and glow for an entire year before they burrow up and emerge as a firefly.
• There are 11 types of fireflies that eat other fireflies.
• Fireflies west of Kansas do NOT flash.
  

it was enjoyable, but something we won't do again until emma is a little older. two miles at the end of the day in 90+ degree heat is more than her little body can handle. she was ready to go home about 1/2 mile into it. ashlyn did great until about the last 1/2 mile.

sunday, we spent all day at dad's house. swimming, coloring, eating, coloring some more, goldfish feeding, slushie making, cartoon watching. all fun. emma worked her magic on papa. with a few extra bats of her eyelashes and her cute little giggle before she knew it he had her a t-ball holder with PVC piping---my dad's is brilliant and can make anything (how's that for a my dad is better than your dad, so there!?). she's my tomboy. loves anything to do with playing ball and getting dirty.

it was a super chill weekend, relaxing and doing much of nothing.

and i got burnt.....bad. stooooooopid mommy. i put sunscreen on ashlyn, then emma and doug went back out to the car to get something while i was putting sunscreen on emma. dad and connie were out shopping at the time. in the meantime, ashlyn makes a beeline for the pool and i hear her jump in the pool, which is a major no-no without an adult on the deck. i was across the yard applying sunscreen to emma and had to run over to the pool to supervise. anywho. with all that i was totally distracted and forgot to put sunscreen on myself. with intense sun during the hottest part of that day, added to that, me taking a medication that is on the photosensitive list that tells you to avoid sun exposure-----which i totally forgot about---and i'm RED as a lobster. i mean, really red. painful red. like the pain intensifies by the hour.

don't touch me, don't breathe on me, don't point a fan in my direction, can't take a shower burnt.

ouch.

how was your weekend?