"Labor" Day

Cowboy Run
They were an exceptional band with all sorts of ballads and rock songs, folk and blues and bluegrass.  The children loved hearing the bagpiper and a digeridoo. I was surprised at how well they sat peacefully and took it all in! 

The Annual Scottish Games out at the Plains came on one of the most beautiful days yet this year....bright, Van Gogh blue skies with barely a cloud, and a nice steady breeze to keep the bugs at bay.  We saw people in costume for a sword-fighting exhibition ("Mommy, are they pirates?"), got balloon swords of our own, and bounced around in a dragon bouncy house for a while. 

Zoe blended right in with her fair skin, blue eyes, and dark hair.  Who knew her looks were more Scottish than anything else? 

I wish there had been a better way to capture the breadth of this place with a ton of people walking around, but it didn't feel crowded or cramped.  There was a dog run where the different kinds of terriers competed to see who could catch the rabbit's tale as it sped along the ground, which Caleb got a kick out of! 

Caleb found a kid-sized bow and arrow set, which Daddy proceeded to buy and then hijack and the kids ran after the arrows he shot all over the place.  They were totally beat when we got home in the early afternoon.  Caleb demanded "dinner!" at 2:00, and proceeded to devour the huge plate of spaghetti and meatballs that his dad made him.  Zoe was happy with a turkey sandwich and milk, and was asleep the moment her head hit her pillow.  Within 10 minutes, we were all in the land of nod...

We're starting to get the backyard in some order, and moved the table into the shade (and off the "patio" that is currently dirt+weeds until we get around to laying one).  We get a lot of tree branches that come down in the winds (we need a resident arborist...) and took down a mulberry tree, so burning the wood in the fire pit keeps the brush and wood out of the landfill and has the added bonus of keeping the mosquitoes at bay.  

Picnic time! 

We still have a lot of bees and bugs, and no back stairs, so we schlepped everything around the house from the front door in tupper ware.  Classy, eh? But it was a nice break for all of us.  Spinach steak salad, anyone?