Labor day weekend: all play no work

Today another mom at Jonas' gymnastics class asked me how our weekend was. I replied that we had a great weekend, but didn't get anything done around the house, again. I had a list of things to accomplish, but somehow the list got trumped by other things to do: the zoo, the beach, a picnic with friends. I wish my house was cleaner and that my to-do list wasn't so long, but I can't say that I regret our decision to have fun as a family and with friends. In twenty years, I'll cherish the memories we made and won't care at all whether our couch cushions were vacuumed. At least thats what Im telling myself.

So here's how we played hookie from our to-do list.

On Saturday we took the kids to the zoo. We have a pass and go fairly often, but there is a new exhibit where you can pet the sharks which is pretty cool if you like that sort of thing. The weather was perfect too, and we just enjoyed being together. Later that night AJ and I caught up on old LOST episodes on DVD.

Sunday after church, while the kids slept, we stained our deck. This is the one thing we did check off the list:) Its a very small deck, little more than stairs to our back door. But it was satisfying to get it done. That evening we joined friends over in the Fountain Square neighborhood for community dinner (they eat together each Sunday and invite us to join them from time to time). We always enjoy the food and fellowship of these gatherings, and Sunday was no exception. Above is a picture taken by our friend Rachel of Jonas playing football at the gathering. Football is the sport of the week around here.

Monday we left Indy early and headed up to Indiana State Dunes with a caravan of friends. The weather was perfect and the day proved to be a great last hurrah for summer. AJ thinks Im being a Michigan snob, but I really didnt like this beach. You could see Gary Indiana power plant stacks in the western distance and the water was tinted a questionable color of rust. Not to mention the life guards kept announcing different rules like: You cant have inflatables in the water! All of this said, we really did have fun. Jonas swam in "the big lake" and played so hard he was asleep before we left the parking lot.