The 5 Minute Weekend

Have you ever taken a trip that was so jam packed with stuff to do that, in the end, made you feel like you'd only been there for about 5 minutes? No time to stop, sit down, relax and catch up with anyone? Well, that was our whirlwind weekend getaway. Here are some of the things we did during our 3 days back in my hometown:

-Visited Spring Valley Nature Center, hiked the trails and toured their farm
-Celebrated my sister's 18th birthday
-Helped the same sister get ready for prom, and took a hundred photos of her and her friends
-Went to Build-a-Bear to pick out some belated birthday presents
-Did a 6-month photo shoot with my nephew
-Made several batches of homemade baby food
-Had dinner with my grandma
-Attended Jess' high school graduation and graduation party
-Caught up with Dakota's sister, Lacy, and her husband
-Hung a swing in a tree
-And fixed a printer
(The last two were Dakota's doing, not mine) ...and I'm sure I'm forgetting something.

Now that you have the list of what we did, prepare for the onslaught of pictures!

First, the surprise trashing (I mean decorating) of Jess' room! Jess had a softball game the evening we arrived, and her friends thought that would be the perfect opportunity to invade and redecorate her room. The girls invited Emma in to help. She couldn't have been more excited.

(Look Navya! You made it onto my blog!) :)

The next morning we spent time wandering around Spring Valley. My dad used to take my sister and me there when we were kids. We loved running around on the trails and seeing all the old stuff they had there. It's been years since I've been there and a lot has changed. Dakota and the girls really liked it, so I'm sure we'll be back again.


It's a little bit of peace and quiet in the middle of the busy Chicago suburbs.


Later that day there was a quick birthday celebration, and then--Prom! Who needs to throw an 18th birthday party when the school is willing to throw one for you? I mean, nothing says "happy birthday" like hundreds of your closest friends, lots of loud music, and permission to stay out until 4am, right?


While waiting for her date to arrive, Jess showed Dakota and the girls the finer points of jumping for the camera. Dakota really got into it.


The next day I did a six-month photo shoot with my nephew and my other sister, Erin. Nathan is such a cutie and a very happy baby.


Later that afternoon, it was off to dinner at my grandma's house. The girls and Nathan were all wearing outfits I made for them. For the record, baby outfits are hard to make!! This was the first, and probably the last baby outfit I'll make.


On Sunday, as if having prom and turning 18 wasn't enough for one weekend, Jess graduated from high school. It was hard to believe that she was about Emma's age when I was the one graduating. It went by so fast!

By the way, I know the sky looks perfect in these pictures, but don't let that fool you. We got all sorts of wet from a random 15 minute downpour in the middle of the outdoor ceremony. Fortunately for us, my mom had brought a cushion to sit on in the bleachers, and that cushion just so happened to unzip and unfold into a waterproof blanket, barely big enough to cover us all. Good thinking, Mom.


I didn't take any photos at the graduation party or after that. Had to give my shutter finger a break! There wasn't much left to the weekend anyway. Monday morning we packed up the van, helped my sister with a couple last minute things, and headed back for Iowa. Our time there always feels so short, and even more so when our schedule is packed from morning to night. We're already planning our next gathering for the end of the summer, which will include a visit from my dad in TX, a baptism and a large family reunion of sorts. Do we know how to cram it all in or what?!