Our Monday.....

It has been a memorable Labor Day Weekend!

I've spent most of it in Quadville save for September First when I was at home doing all my traditional September First things.  However, I  spent Saturday and Sunday nights over there in QV and all of Sunday and Monday and enjoyed every single minute!

I've been sleeping upstairs in Trystan and Logan's pretty bedroom.

I love waking up in a home where children live. I love to hear their little voices whisper so as not to wake up their MeeMaw. And then I love it when they decide it's been long enough and they want to talk to me!

We have been having some really good games of Crazy Eight this weekend.

It's been wonderful NOT to be on a time schedule and being able to stay up late and sleep in.

In the school year these are rare days to treasure and I do. WE do!

This morning we all got our swim suits on, sprayed the sunscreen, packed up snacks and towels and marched our way through the garage to the Suburban to load up. Alas, as the garage door lifted, it started to drizzle. We pushed on and hoped for the best. I kept saying, "We are going to run out of it!" We didn't. Just as we arrived at the pool and unloaded and was marching up to the entrance - they announced the pool CLOSED! (Amber had called ahead to make sure they were open before we left the house.) We immediately switched to Plan B! 

A warm and cozy Home Day with movies and games.

Once home, we all piled out of the car and - since we were in our swimsuits anyway - and since it was pouring rain at this point - I suggested a Walk in the Rain! We were already prepared to be wet!

Now Amber has never been an outdoor adventurer unless it included a beach and water!

And Kailey is her Mini Me in just about every way so it was no surprise that those two opted to go in and take a warm shower and get into some comfy pajamas.

The other three and I walked along the sidewalk and stepping into the rain streams along the road all the way down to where the green belt starts. That's where the adventure really began!

I had the idea of walking back by way of that green belt since it went right behind Quadville.

It was awesome! We saw birds, lots of swimming pools that we had just seen when we looked at their neighborhood on Google Earth that morning. It was beautiful. And a bit muddy in places.

We hit a dead end at one point and then discovered we could walk closer to the creek and along that green way. The kids collected green acorns, trumpet vine flowers and seeds and a couple of beautifully colored fallen leaves. This was a walk we probably would never have taken had we not headed to the pool and been turned back. I love it when things work out like that!

Granddad arrived shortly afterwards.

The kids had a movie in the playroom and Summer, Amber and I watched Mission Impossible 3 in the living room. Granddad went back and forth and watched a little of both!

Aunt Summer brought a craft project for them and all we had to do was give it to them!

No explanations or instructions needed!

All four went right to the table and started working on it!

AND they did a really good job!

It was embellished butterflies. I forgot to get a pic of them.....

For dinner we had a High Tea.

When our pool plans fell through, Amber asked the kids what they wanted to do and they all requested a tea party! You know that made me happy! I have been having tea parties with these precious quad grand babies since they were one year old!

Alas, the only thing I did NOT have was tea cakes.

The fruit rolls from the bakery in Hillsboro did not do the trick.

Harrison especially loves the Miss Debbie 'Tea Cakes.'

I promised I would never do a tea party without them again!

I am going to buy some tomorrow and pop them in the freezer!

Normal life returned and the quads had an early bedtime.

School starts early.

Much TOO early in my opinion!

7:40 is unreal to me.

But then, I am NOT a morning person!

Thus ends our holiday weekend!

Now we are counting down to our Alaskan cruise and road trip to Portland to visit my friend, Linda. Then we will go on to Rockaway Beach to visit Phyllis and on over and up to Canada to visit Bev and Brian before heading south to home by way of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico and back to Texas!

This is the biggest vacation we will ever have!

Talk about EXCITED!!!

The crunch is on to get everything packed and all our necessary reservations made.

And we are excited to get started on this adventure!!!