This Weekend

This past weekend we really wanted to do something so when Al called from work on Thrusday at 11:00 am and asked if I wanted to head to Savannah to visit his brother and family for the weekend I said yes, and we were there by 8.

At first we weren't sure riding in the boat would be Jensen's favorite activity. (And by the way. Someone really needs to come up with a more kid friendly floatation device...)

But wonder of wonders, he started to enjoy himself.

See?
Alex and I have started getting a little concerned that he can be so timid in new situations (not with people- just circumstances- he gets scared easily going into small dark spaces for instance.)
So we were pleased to see that he was happy on the boat- having had a bit of reluctance in the past.

Though when Al, Phil, and Isabella got into the water I caught this picture of Jence explaining to Alex why he did not want to go with them. Really, that's what he was doing.

So Al would bring the fun to him. (Check out that classic Al face!)

Jence examining the crab daddy brought him.

Eventually Al just took Jence to the beach without making him get in the water and he and Isabella had a grand old time playing in the sand.

Al and Phil catching fish.

Phil and Paula's baby William is at a fun stage right now where he just chills quietly until lunch time. It was easy to get big smiles out of him.

He looks a lot like Izzy did.

On our way we had seen cotton fields all white and puffy and ready for picking. Being a product of public education I have read hundreds of books about slaves and cotton, so of course I was curious- having never seen an actual cotton field before. On our way home Al randomly pulled over and told me to go get some. (Needless to say I was very excited.) So I picked a piece- seeing for myself why the prickly bolls would tear up your hands.

And then I spent the next 15 minutes experiencing why the cotton gin was necessary. I had read that there were a lot of seeds in each piece of cotton, but I was still impressed with how any could fit inside. It was a lot of work!

Then we stopped at a Peach Farm on the way home to take a break from the car and let Jence and Kiki play. Of course there was a playground but it couldn't hold a candle to the tractors!

(This was officially dubed a tractor by Jence so it got to be a part of the "Tractor tip-it!" rounds- which is what J says the whole time he is on one- his way of saying "tractor tipping" from Cars)

This next sequence is great. We start with J excited that Kiki is drinking her water.

Getting closer.

Participating.

And Kik is driven out. Water is just too alluring, I suppose.

This is Jensen's thing. He oh so carefully stacks his cars in a "crash" and then sits and admires it for a while.

When Jen came through I thought it would be a good time to make some fall wreathes- it's always more fun to do things like that with a friend. For all who know of my indecisiveness (anyone who has met me, I believe) you would be stunned at how quickly I was able to pick out the ingredients. The boys were even with me and didn't die of boredom.

Jence models our almost finished yard. We changed the shape and extended the borders of the flower bed and got our little bushes all planted. I also planted some bulbs so hopefully next spring we can have some color.

Jensen has said "don't touch pumpkins" more times than I can count, and yet we have those contrary days- and apparently today is one of them.