This Weekend

This weekend flew by, and thankfully, I still have one more day off.

On Friday evening, we went to the Valentine's Day dance at AVS. It was a small dance this year as about half of the kids and some of the staff were ill with a really yucky stomach flu-ish illness. Still, those of us that were at the party had fun.

Saturday morning, the kids and I had a leisurely breakfast. There were small holiday gifts, of course. For Ellie, I put together some Almond Rocca, French macaroon and a coupon for the Mount Princeton Hot Springs. I gifted Ethan with Almond Rocca, a giant roll of Smarties, tickets to see, "Paddington" and a promise to make maralade together. For Kohlton I put together a bag of candy. I figured that he would share the Hot Springs coupon with Ellie. Larr will be receiving a pair of linen pants, just like the ones I made for Ethan, as soon as our lives calm down enough for me to sew again. Next, I made crepes for everyone, then we sat around visiting. Ellie and Kohlton played music. Ellie is teaching herself how to sing and play at the same time. It turns out that it is rather hard to do, especially if you are new to being musical. Still, I love being able to sit and take all of that in.

The kids played "dueling cameras," trying to see what the differences were between their cameras.

Ellie and Kohlton went to Ikea to look at stuff. They like to think about and make plans for what life will be like when they move out.

In the evening, the kids set up an outdoor theater in the back yard. It involved all manner of blankets, pillows, a computer, a digital projector, a slide screen, a speaker and movies. They watched, "Moonrise Kingdom" and "Darjeeling Limited," both movies by Wes Anderson. It even included the dog. It was a temperate and lovely evening. (Such a contrast to today in which there is constant snow.)Ellie declared it to be the best Valentine's day, EVER!

On Sunday all of us, including Kohlton, worked to get Grandpa's house ready for the guests that will begin to arrive today, through Thursday. They are coming for the memorial service that we will have next weekend.It is a huge relief to have that done. Ethan and I went to see "Paddington" in the evening. We followed it up with burgers and fries at Five Guys.