Family Weekend
My weekend was full of family activities. On Friday I got to spend the day with Reese, my only niece. Reese is nine years old and I think that is the perfect age. She is so much fun! She stayed with my mom from Thursday to Saturday and they decided to visit me for the day on Friday.
We started our day at Amazement Square, a museum for children. We ended up being thirty minutes early, so we went for a walk on the bike trail to see the tunnel. Our bike trail used to be railroad tracks and the tunnel was used during Civil War times. It is really fun to run, walk, or ride your bike through it now that it is paved inside and has lights.
Amazement Square is so much fun for the kids. Many of the exhibits are permanent, but a few change so kids that go frequently don’t get bored. Reese ends up getting to go once every two or three years and she loves it every time.
The stairs light up! 
We got a big kick out of the mirror exhibit. There was NO way way that Reese was taking MY picture when I posed for her!
Pretending to paddle the batteau down the James…
Learning how the locks and canals worked…
After our Amazement Square visit, we made homemade pizza for lunch and then spent the afternoon at the pool. I usually sit in a chair by the pool and alternate between reading and napping. There was no reading or napping with Reese around. We played in the shallow end and then went off the diving board over and over. I tried to talk her into going off the high dive, but she’s not quite brave enough just yet. I’m still scared when I get to the top of the ladder!
I was so glad to get to spend Friday with both Reese and my mom.
I did a little canning on Saturday. I had more beans than we could eat, so I decided to can them. It was a lot of work for only four quarts, but I enjoyed doing it. I hope I get to can more before the summer is over. These beans are from my friend’s garden. I planted two rows in my garden this afternoon, so maybe I’ll be enjoying my own harvest before too long.
My family gets together twice a year – in the summer for a picnic and at Christmas for a dinner. My Aunt Nancy and her three daughters hosted this summer’s picnic. They had it in a field near Nancy’s house that is bordered by a creek. The kids had a ball playing in the creek. It is always good to get together with family!
One of my cousins saw this on the Internet and had to try it. Isn’t it cute?
Be still my heart! Y’all know how much I like bbq!!
Mama and her sisters played softball and volleyball.
Going for a Gator ride was a popular activity for the little ones.
The bigger kids spent the majority of their time in the creek! Reese is in pink.
It rained for a little while and then we were rewarded with a beautiful rainbow.
In between family activites this weekend, I played tennis (big surprise) and worked on my yard. I did some major cleaning out in one of my larger beds and moved things around a bit. I hope that the things that I moved will survive.
Mr. SP and I have big plans for our yard. We’ve hired a landscape architect to do a design to relocate our driveway, redo our sidewalks, add a larger landing to our deck, and a redesign for around our basement door. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with! It will be a big expense, but we feel that it will be worth it. I’ll post more on this plan this week.
Paula, it sounds like you had a wonderful week with Reese! She looks like a sweetie and that museum is awesome!
I had to giggle a little about your canning because the first couple of time I canned tomatoes I was like “this is all I get for 1000 tomatoes???” I had an even smaller showing when I made pasta sauce…LOL!!
Your family picnic looked like a lot of fun. I love those kind of things! That little piggy watermelon is something I will have to try!!
Good luck with the work planned around your house…can’t wait to see it!! 🙂
xoxo
Jane
Oh yes, I agree. That is a great age for little girls.
Can’t wait to hear about your landscaping plans.
Great post! 🙂 Looks like you had a great time with your niece. 🙂 I love family reunions…wish we had more of them. 🙂 I love barbecue too!!!
Sounds like great fun! The museum looks amazing. I know you created lots of wonderful memories. I know you are proud of your green beans. They are going to be so good this winter! Your yard sounds like it is going to be great…can’t wait to see! Have a wonderful week.
oh wow…I would love to go hang out at the museum…I think I could spend 15 minutes just making the stairs light up…
What a wonderful way to spend your weekend…with those you love the most! Looks like a great time.
~Amanda
That museum looks like such a great place to visit! Your family picnic looked like you guys had such a blast!
That piggy watermelon was too cute and I’m so impressed that you canned those beans!
Manuela
Another Virginian. I saw your link on Southern Hospitality and was checking out your Thrifty Finds when I saw the pictures of Amazement Square. You are the first person from VA that I have seen on here. What do you think of the new JCrew Outlet?