A Day With Our Cousins and Another Busy Weekend

On Friday (a day Michele and I "scheduled" a month ago b/c with our busy lives that's the only way!!) the kids and I met Michele, Clara Paige, Maggie, and Gracie at the Aldridge Botanical Gardens. We took walks, ok, mostly runs thanks to our 6 very active children, through the lovely trails and looked at the beautiful flowers. While looking at this brook in the pic below, Abby and Clara Paige noticed this tiny turtle in the water next to the bank so I scooped it out to show the kids.
Aren't they gorgeous??!!






John Brady got really close to the geese, but mama goose did not want him or us around her goslings!

We took a water and snack break while we watched the nearby geese. The geese started heading our way. Can't you tell by the look on their faces?

Yep, the geese got a little too close for comfort. Here is Michele shooing them away! Hee! Hee!
CP joined in the shooing.....from her seat, of course!
The kids played ball for a while.
We fed the fish and the turtles.

We left to eat lunch at Chick-Fil-A and then spent the rest of the afternoon at Alex and Michele's. The kids had a great time playing together and Michele and I had fun catching up!

As the kids and I were leaving, we thought it would be fun for CP to come with us so Michele packed her up and we all headed to Northport.

I had to work at a health fair for my office on Saturday morning, and Brady was to take the kids with the help of MeMe to John Brady's game. The game was cancelled so Brady and MeMe brought the kids to the health fair so they could see Big Al!! Yep, Big Al was at our health fair and my job was to get some great pics of Big Al with everyone. What fun! Michele, CP would NOT get her pic made with Big Al! Thought you would be proud! Afterwards, they took the kids to McDonald's and I met them there. Then we headed home so I could get ready for a photo session with the cutest 5 week old around! Brady and the kids took CP to her aunt Wendy's so she could spend Saturday night with her other cousins. That evening we all CRASHED and took a much needed nap! Aaaahhh! Abby and I went to the mall to replace CP's flip flops that Lucky chewed up!! Sorry CP!

Sunday morning: We hurriedly got ready for church and as many of you know who have small children, by the time you get in the vehicle and get going, you are in dire need of a sermon! So anyway, we were almost to church as we drove over railroad tracks when we heard something not quite right with the van. I toldl Brady to stop because we may have a flat. He stopped the van. I opened the door to hear the hiss of air spewing out of the right front tire!! Yep, a flat tire!! So there we were, in the road, in our nice clothes, in the sticky, hot weather with a flat tire! Luckily about 3 different church friends stopped to help. So me and the kids piled into someone else's car to go on to church leaving the men to change the tire. A tid bit about retrieving the spare: the spare is attached square in the center underneath the van. It has to be released from the inside with a special tool and then drug out from under the van! Needless to say, once at church Brady spent several minutes in the bathroom splashing water in his face to cool down and was a few minutes late to class. Brady kept looking (he said he was glaring at me out of frustration!) at me from across the classroom and I would return a big smile, one that encourages, one that says the day will get better. We left out of class, enter the auditorium for worship, when a teacher from John Brady's class grabs us. John Brady had just peed all over himself!! Enough said!! Brady said you know what, why don't I take John Brady home and we will come back to get you and the girls!!! I didn't dare disagree!! Brady went home, changed JB3's clothes, and went outside to the bushes I had been wanting to remove, and he jerked them right out of the ground!! Powerful venting, huh? The best part of my Sunday was spent taking some very, very special pics of our friend, Stuart with his little girl, Allie!! Watching my three children and Allie play in the mud was also a highlight! We rounded out our Sunday, cleaning hand soap from John Brady's hair and trying to watch a movie as we constantly paused it to place John Brady back in his bed!! I love, love, love, love my weekends but thank goodness it's Monday!