wip 5.26.12 - memorial day weekend.

gonna start this week with thursday.  and it's gonna be a big one. just warning you. and a gold star sticker if you make it through. ;-)

thursday:
nick and i worked. then we hurried home and headed out to his cousin's high school graduation.

there were a lot of kids graduating and to accommodate all of the families, we had to park elsewhere, and be shuttled in on buses!

a selphy on the bus. 

the ceremony was outdoor, on the football field, at her high school. was a nice enough day... but super windy.

took me a while to see all the 2012's hidden on the score board. i realized the time as soon as we got there but didn't really pay attention to the rest.

the graduates. all 865 {?} of em!

miss megan walking back. we sat on the wrong side. oh well! so this zoomed pic is the best i got.

with her mom and dad afterwards. sorry about the brightness. silly me forgot to change the settings. doh!

and nick and i with the graduate. stole from her facebook page!

and with her 'diploma'!

then it was time to eat. headed over to a chili's and had some time visiting.

nick's super delicious beverage.

i have had rachael ray's recipe for beer-garitas before, but i think this one was more enjoyable with the teeny, tiny corona bottle inside the glass!


friday:
made a trip to the dentist. unfortunately, it had been years. such a bad patient. loved the inside of the office. so pretty! and the floor in the back was cool too. and the tvs on the chairs. sweet! i was impressed and i work in an office with some nice amenities!

if you are local and need a good dentist, lemme know. i'll hook you up. ;)

good news! after years of not having my teeth cleaned/examined. i had no cavities. woot! going back next week with ben. he gets to watch the cleaning and hopefully be a bit more prepared for when it's his turn.

a random shot from the grocery store. not the greatest. i didn't want the idiots to know i was taking a picture of their lack of bagging skills. really. they put tortilla chips and bread in an insulated bag. i'm thinking i need to put notes on them to tell the baggers that these are for cold items. doh! not to protect my fragile items because there is some padding in the bag!

my bracelets making me smile. and so funny that just this week, i got a similar photo texted to me because a friend was proud of hers too! aw, i love my friends. xo!

then it was family night.
nick's dad's side. we were trying out a new recipe from this book. {nick's summertime goal, is to make one new recipe from them a week. the shrimp from last weekend's post was also a recipe from the book.}

 trying to get everything prepped and ready.

had some swiss cheese. ben enjoyed eating it and trying to look through the holes!

my silly little man who is still obsessed with balls. i know that sounds awful... oh well.

and the patty melts in process. SO GOOD!

nothing says summer like leiny's and watermelon?

 spending some time with gibi and jerbear.

root beer floats {or creamsicle} and ice cream sandwiches for dessert. i love how dainty ben looks with his pinky out! :)

saturday:

ben asked to have some of daddy's gel in his hair. 

so nick gave him a mohawk. it didn't last. it's too long. but he was happy with it while it did!

nick had to run out to work, so i decided to take ben to the library.  he loves it there. so cute. and so random how he picks out his books. but he reads them. and that's all that matters!

when we got home, we saw the mail truck, so ben asked to sit on the porch and watch him deliver the mail. so we did...

then it was time to check out all those cool books!

when nick got home and after ben's nap, i took ben to alsip to get him out of the house a bit. nick had a headache and we had company coming later.

ben loves it there. the animals, the flowers, the fountains. 

this silly lizard was climbing on the cactus ball and falling off. we spent a good 5 minutes watching him!

ben asked for a 'banilla' shake on the way home. couldn't convince him to try another flavor. oh well. but i think he liked it!

 headed out to do some get the patio furniture out and ben wanted to ride his bike! so we did.

 then it was time for the roldan's and lannon's to visit.
the boys playing army guys. 

sage and beaners.

the spread for meyer's specials. so good. and the invitation still stands for locals, lemme know when you wanna come make some with us. ;)

cooking our tasty goodness. maybe by the end of june we will have our fire pit moved off of the deck and into the backyard... maybe.

then it was time for some smores!
ben only wanted a big marshmallow.

and mine. with a reese's pb cup. darn store was out of heath bars! 

sunday:
phew! long weekend.... only two more days...

nick and the boys played frisbee golf. ben continued with his harry potter obsession.

then randomly he asked for a bath. he has been obsessed with taking his army men in the bath with him... whatever works, right?

and he asked if tennis was on? he really likes it. and golf. not to mention the other main sports.

drive in time!
nick wanted some fountain drinks and slim jims. healthy dinner, right?

waiting outside to get in...
the boys playing in the field.

ben's favorite part is sitting in the back of the car. 

taking care of the hatch is always the hardest part!

dunno. i just love this picture. 

even though we take in our own snackies, we try to buy at least popcorn from them as well. they comment on how much they rely on sales from concessions to stay profitable. so we're happy to help.

i think he thought he could sit like this for the movie...

and it's time for the national anthem and then men in black three.

men in black was good. ben liked it too! ;)

he stayed asleep for most of battleship. but did wake up for some major action scenes and loved it! the movie was eh. just action. no real story line. but for $16 for both plus popcorn, i can't complain.

was a late, late night...

monday:

yay! someone slept in. :o)

we were undecided on how we were going to spend the day. usually we head to nick's mom's in ogden dunes for some beach time. we finally agreed that we should head out that way even though it was supposed to be like 100 degrees.

mr. shorty pants. 

and someone was okay venturing out into the water. the water was cold, but not terribly so. {i had later heard, that the water was almost 20 degrees warmer that it usually is for this time of year due to the unseasonably warm weather we had experienced.}

 and of course, he asks for daddy to throw him.

i think he likes it. ;)

and he LOVED splashing cousin megan.

beaner was a fan of collecting rocks. 

 and just playing in the sand.

until it got too hot and he wanted to go back in the water.

he loved burying nick in the sand.

now it's ben's turn.

then it was time for food and drinks at gigi's. 

and the obligatory dessert on face courtesy of aunt michelle.

not so great drive by picture of all the flags at the cemetery near our house. just gives me goose bumps.

and someone was so exhausted that he fell back asleep once we got in the house. that never happens. usually he is wide awake once we take him out of the car. i didn't mind. got some snuggly time with my bean. 

and thankfully, since last weekend was so busy, we don't have much on the schedule for this one!