A Miser's Weekend

We had the perfect miser's weekend, and the kids had a blast with our simple pleasures! Because so many of the gas stations were out of gas, and the few that had gas had two-hour-long lines, we decided it would be prudent to stay home this weekend and not go to the lake. So our weekend fun started early.

Ben and I have been riding our bikes on Rails to Trails, a paved path that runs along the river, but we've been leaving the kids home with Bailey because we didn't have a way to take Ephraim along with us. This past week we bought a second bike trailer, so we all hit the trails Thursday morning and cycled the nine-mile-long round trip. Barrett and Keaton rode behind Ben, Ephraim and Reid rode behind me, and Jensen and Riley motored under their own steam. Ephraim loved it, but my legs weren't used to the extra baggage. I felt like I had wet noodles for legs by the end.

Thursday night we had a spend-the-night party in the apartment over Ben's office. About a year ago we bought a really cool house built in 1906 and converted the downstairs into a medical office, but left the upstairs as a two-bedroom apartment. The kids love to sleep there! It's right on Main Street, is walking distance to fast food and convenience stores, and it has cable. Even though we are talking about Main Street in a town of only 3500 people, that's big city for the kids! Our farmhouse doesn't have cable, and we are ten miles away from the nearest restaurant or store. So that night we all ate junk food, then the kids stayed up late watching Hannah Montana, and Ben and I stayed up late watching a Jon and Kate Plus Eight marathon. I've never seen the show before, but I'm now a fan.

Friday during the day Ben and I worked downstairs on the office. The office is up and running, but there are still lots of small cosmetic things left to do. That evening we went to the Hometown Hoedown at the county co-op. They served free hamburgers, BBQ, drinks and chips, had several bluegrass bands performing, and they gave away so many door prizes, nearly everyone won something. Jensen won two free music lessons; she's thinking she's going to give the banjo a try. The twins were fascinated by the clogging, so they've decided that's their new love. We saw lots of people we knew. They all oohed and aahed over Ephraim and wanted to carry him around. I was surprised how many men asked to hold him!

Saturday was a gorgeous day, so the kids all played outside while Ben and I refinished some bookshelves for Ben's office. That evening we took the girls and a friend of Jensen's to Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds at Movie in the Park. Can you tell our girls are Hannah Montana freaks?!? The event was sponsored by the Civitans. Admission was free, Go Jump set up all the blow-up outdoor equipment, they served corn dogs, chips, drinks and ice cream sandwiches for only $2.oo a person, and they gave away boxes of popcorn during the movie. The screen was set up at homebase, and we got there early enough that we were able to set up our quilt right at the edge of the grass behind the baseball diamond at second base -- front row center stage!

Sunday we went to church. After lunch the kids played outside again while we continued working on the bookshelves. Tonight Bailey read the little guys another chapter of Betsy-Tacy, and the kids all went to bed worn out and ready for some sleep.