Memorial Day Weekend

I'm trying to crawl out of my blogging hole and get caught up on a few things here. There are lots of things I could have written about, but their time has come and gone. So I'll just start with one of the more recent blog-worthy events--Memorial Day weekend. (Plus, it's the one thing I've got lots of pictures of!)

We were kept busy with lots of graduation parties last weekend. One each day--Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Saturday, it was the daughter of some friends from a church we used to attend here. It was fun to see families we haven't seen in a few years. It's always surprising how quickly everyone's kids grow and how people change in what seems like such a short time. The weather wasn't very cooperative for the party, so everyone was stuck indoors. But that didn't bother our girls. They had a great time chasing after a little dog, and all three of them were small enough to dodge through all the legs, packed throughout the house. What a great game they thought that was! Unfortunately, by the time we decided to leave, Emma was clawing at her arms and complaining that they itched SOOOO bad. By the time we got home, her arms were covered in red, itchy hives, and there were a few on her legs too. Our best guess is that she is now allergic to dogs, in addition to cats, peanuts, and some seasonal stuff. But it seemed that she only broke out in hives where the dog had been licking her. I could be wrong about that, but she hasn't had that kind of reaction when playing at her best friend's house before, and they have a dog. Their dog is usually kept in a separate area from where the girls are playing, so she hasn't had a chance to be licked by it, but she's been exposed to dog hair enough times and hasn't had a problem. So the guessing game continues...

Sunday, after church and lunch, we packed the girls up and headed for Missouri. Dakota's youngest sister, Lindsey, finished her home school program this spring and is now a high school graduate. The family had a party for her Sunday evening, and we were very pleased that the rain held off so we could all enjoy the fresh air. (And not have to play chase the baby in a crowded house again.) The girls had a great time playing and running around outside. Emma was so off in her own little world, creating imaginary treasure maps and hunts, stirring up "leaf stew," playing in the little house out in the yard, and hauling the little ones around in the wagon. Ashlyn loved the wagon, too, but she mostly loved just getting to run all over. Both girls exhausted themselves and slept like rocks all night. I wish the same could have been said for Dakota and me. My allergies (new as of last spring) kept me up most of the night, feeling miserable. We dragged ourselves out of bed in the morning and did a little more running around the farm. Emma found a souvenir to take home (or should I say it found her--a tick--and we didn't find it until just this morning.) And Ashlyn squealed with excitement when she got to see some sheep and chickens, before we left. We made it home, had a late lunch, and everyone took nice naps in their own beds in the afternoon. (Dakota and myself included.)

Later Monday evening, we headed out to the last of the graduation parties (for that weekend). The party was for a student I had in 8th grade. I can't believe she's graduating already! Have I been away from teaching for that long? That makes me feel old. The party was at the family's house in Glenn Oaks, where the Principal Golf Tournament is going on this week. It was quite surprising to see a large SUV parked in what seemed like their back yard, just feet from one of the putting greens. (Advertising, no doubt, but how strange that would be to have that right in your back yard.) It's quite the view they'll have for the tournament this weekend.

Well, I think that wraps it up for the graduation parties and Memorial Day festivities. We still have one more graduation party (and two birthday parties) to attend this weekend. Hopefully the weather will cooperate!