Pool Party!

This weekend was another busy one. We had friends over Friday night and ended up staying up until about 5:30 in the morning! Then, Rachel and I had a playdate with Quentin/Lawrene and Aiden/Kim on Saturday. Lawrene set up a couple of baby pools in her backyard and, after a scrumptious lunch, we all went out in the 90-degree heat and let the babies go wild.

Rachel was skeptical about the pool at first. She would scream whenever I put her anywhere near it. Aiden, on the other hand, was like a fish. He crawled so quickly across the pool that he looked like he was really swimming.

Quentin liked the water, but he generally would just get in long enough to get a toy and then would climb out again. I ended up pulling up a chair and sticking my feet in the water. And Rachel scrambled around the yard, exploring. She eventually crawled to me and I put her on my lap and gradually introduced her to the water. Once she figured out that she could splash around, she was in the water permanently until we left!

Saturday evening, Kim, Lawrene, and I all went bowling. I have been feeling pretty down lately, for various reasons, so Duane told me to get out! ha! It was a wonderful time. We had fun bowling and then squeezed into photo booth for keepsakes.

Sunday was my nephew Owen's birthday party. In the future, we will combine his with Rachel's party, but I wanted Rachel to have her own birthday party for her 1st birthday. Owen turned 3 on Friday, and I baked him a Wall-E cake for his birthday. He seemed to like it, though you can't get the kid to sit still very long! Oh, to be 3 again! It was a lovely party, and we had a great weekend altogether, though it was really busy.

By the time I got home Sunday night and finished my last cake for a co-worker's retirement gathering (which was today), I was wiped out. It was all I could do to get myself upstairs for bedtime. :)

This week is a short week, but Duane and I are going out of town Wednesday, and we won't get back until late. Rachel is spending the night with Grandma Wood so I can sleep in on Thursday! Then I have Happy Hour Thursday afternoon to celebrate the end of the reprint replacement cycle! =) I have busted my butt this year so far, so it has been nice that things have wound down somewhat. Friday is another day off, with a birthday dinner for Lawrene that evening. I don't think we will go to Red, White, and Boom, but we will try to find some fireworks for Rachel to watch. Perhaps I will take her up to the lake one day this weekend too. We shall see...