Busy weekend

Remember on Friday I said I wasn't going to be busy this weekend.  Well, I lied.  I had a very busy weekend.  Last week, after writing that letter to my 21 year old self, I got very nostalgic and started thinking that I don't spend enough time with Damian, just him and me.  Since I was a single mom for 6 years, we have always had a really close bond and I started thinking that maybe since Maddox was born I have neglected him a little.  I tend to think that since he's 14 he doesn't need as much time with me anymore, which may be true, as I do think in your teenage years you start to pull away from your parents more,  but he still needs his Mom time.  So, that evening I told him that I would take him out, just him and me, for lunch or dinner, or something fun. 

Saturday morning we needed to go birthday shopping for Chris. Oh, and Damian's girlfriend's birthday is this weekend, so I told him I'd help him pick out a necklace for her (ugh, yes, he has a girlfriend).  Heather said that she would watch Maddox, so I told Damian that after we went shopping we would go have lunch somewhere, and maybe ice cream afterwards.  We ended up doing more shopping for ourselves than for Chris I think.  =)  (Is it just me, or are guys really, really hard to shop for?)  I did get Chris a couple things, and I helped Damian with his gf's present.

Damian said he wanted to go to Red Robin for lunch, so we went there.  I got a California Burger, which was chicken, bacon and guacamole.  I should have asked for no bacon, but that was the best part of the burger.  I had a few of their fries, but not many and I was stuffed.  However, D really wanted to go get ice cream, so we went to a local ice cream parlor.  I wasn't going to get anything, but they had lemon meringue ice cream and I had to try it, so I got a child size dish and didn't even eat all of that, but it was really good!

I wanted a picture of our day, but Damian didn't want me to take one.  I love this one, because he's saying "Mom! Stop!"  =)

 

After we got home I did a lot of yard work.  Well, it felt like a lot of yard work, I was out there for about 3 hours, however, when I looked at my yard, you couldn't see much of what I did.  I sprayed weeds in the lawn and trimmed some bushes, and pulled weeds from around my roses.  Oh, I guess I planted some flowers, but I don't have many, so that was quick. 

 

Anyway, after that I ran on my treadmill for 6 miles.  I could have run outside, it was a really nice day, but I kinda wanted to stay close to the house, so I just did the treadmill.  =)

 

Sunday Chris had the day off (there was a worry that he would have to work overtime) so we headed back to Gold Bar, which is where we went last weekend to get Chris's gold panning club membership.  Chris wanted to leave Saturday night and camp and then start gold panning in the morning, but since we had never been there, I talked him into waiting until the next morning.  We left the house about 7, and then drove a crazy long way to a river in the middle of no where.  We thought we were lost about a dozen times, we backtracked, and took side roads, but eventually found where we were going (we weren't lost, just hadn't gone far enough).  I was really happy we waited till morning to leave because that would have been a horrible drive in the dark. 

It was a very peaceful spot, and there was no one around.  It definitely wasn't what I pictured in my head, but it was nice.



 

 

Damian being silly

A couple people came right before lunch, and panned up the river some from us, but they left after only an hour.  Then right before we were planning on leaving a guy came.  Chris started talking to him and he was giving them advice and showing them how he does it.  He even had a sluice box type of thing that he pulled out and showed Chris and D how to use.  Of course, now Chris wants one of those. 



When the guy first came up to us, I got the worst feeling.  I don't know what it was, but I was really leery of the guy.  I was seriously creeped out.  Which was strange, because he looked like any normal guy.  Anyway, when Chris and D went off with him to look at his sluice box thing, I was holding Maddox (who was asleep) and I couldn't hear anything other than the roar of the river.  They seemed like they were gone a long time, and I was kinda worried.  I mean, we were in the middle of nowhere with a stranger, and while Chris and Damian are strong, there's always the possibility of bad things happening.  My mind was thinking all sorts of crazy thoughts about what I would do when Chris came up and said he was just about ready to go.  After I put Maddox in his carseat, I walked over, with Chris, to the guys setup and talked to him for a minute.  After that I felt kind of silly for all the crazy thoughts that I had had earlier. 

Damian got bored in the afternoon, so he went to play on some fallen trees and rocks.  He was showing off to Chris his hand stand on that big rock behind the tree, when his wallet fell out of his pocket and landed in the river.  He stood there and stared at the water for a while and we were laughing and telling him he needs to get it (it wasn't very deep).  He had around $40 and a gift card in it (from his 8th grade graduation).  He finally got in the water and he slipped multiple times, and then fell in the river.  It was hilarious!  He was soaked.  If you look closely at the picture, he lost one of his flip flops (he got it back).  We just sat there and laughed at him (he wasn't in any danger, it was shallow).  I think that is the first time I have EVER witnessed him fall in a river.  He has such amazing balance, that even when he was learning to walk, he never fell. 

Maddox was soaked.  Within minutes of getting there, he had already gotten both feet soaked and his pants wet up to his knees.  I had brought some water shoes for him, but hadn't even gotten them on yet.  His tennis shoes were still wet this morning, and he only had them on for maybe 5 min at the river.  =)  In the picture above, he was dirty!  He had Cheetos and sand and dirt and water everywhere.  Right after this, I picked him up and he crashed on my shoulder for a couple hours.  =)

I didn't run yesterday, but there was a lot of activity going on.  And honestly, I will skip a run every day if I get to spend the day outside doing fun stuff with my kids.  I mean, look at those boys.  They are awesome.  =)

This is my absolute favorite picture of the day. 
I love this boy so much!