A recap of Mother's Day and a lost camera

I am finally taking some time to do a recap of my wonderful Mother's Day weekend before it becomes a distant memory intertwined with all my other fun weekends and I forget some of the details that bear noting here.
Courtney and Tiz came on Friday morning so Tiz could join my Preschoolers at Gymtastics for our field trip. Both John and Courtney came along as chaperones. I think even John enjoyed himself. I gave him a group of four little boys who were pretty low maintenance, so I figured it would be an easy job for him. He did his fair share of pushing, pulling, catching, and holding kids on various apparatus. After that very successful trip, John took off for Oshkosh to pick up Paul for the weekend. The ladies had hoped to get out to Ebert's Greenhouse, but the weather did not cooperate with that trip. We did head over to Blue Moon in Lake Mills for some pizza and beer.
Tiz was thrilled to have a bottle of root beer. Here she and I are toasting in Mother's Day. The pizza at Blue Moon is one of our favorites and it seems that Tiz enjoyed it, too.

Gigi and Tiz enjoyed a few drinks together. In addition to the yummy pizza and tasty beverages, we had great conversation. There is just something about Lake Mills and its memories of the days when Courtney and Paul lived there that makes for happy times. We even reminisced about the time that we ate at the same restaurant although it had a different name back then with Lynne, Melissa, and little baby Meghan. That was long before the twins and Tizita were even thought of yet. Where did that time go? It seemed like only yesterday, but that is the way time marches on, I guess.

After our great night out we arrived home at about the same time that the men arrived. Tiz gave Courtney the present she had made for her in Preschool. I was not really happy with these gifts. I ordered them from Oriental Trading and they were quick and easy to complete but they didn't really convey any sentimental message or conjur up any tears of happiness. Note to self: Next year make a gift with a tear jerking poem attached.

Paul had brought this beautiful plant along for Courtney from him and Tiz. Our evening ended with some "Say yes to the Dress" viewing and an early evening.

A great start to the weekend.

On Saturday, we had hoped to meet Alissa and Nathan at Frame Park in Waukesha for a nice picnic lunch, but again the weather had other ideas so they came out here for lunch. Nathan had made a tasty shrimp salsa and Courtney brought her signature caramel bars. We all enjoyed our lunch very much. In the afternoon we visited with Mallory and spent time playing with Tiz.

Here are the four lovely ladies who have been so much a part of my life as a mom. Being a mom to Courtney and Alissa, an aunt to Mallory, and a Grandma to Tizita is the best thing I could ever be in this life. I am blessed to have each one of them in my life.

And of course, my mom was a big part of our celebration, too. We are so fortunate to have her here to spend time with Tizita. Not all kids have a great grandma in their lives. When Tiz stays here she always gets up in the morning and goes in by Gigi to wake her up and then they have breakfast together. They are making some priceless memories.

And speaking of mornings, this is what I saw on Sunday morning. Tiz could not wait until Auntie Lissy was up and ready to have a juice box with her. They both enjoy their fruit punch!

Note to self: Going to church on Saturday night was definitely a great decision. We all thought it was wonderful to hear The Word and come home for a few beers and a night of scy fy movies about Mongolian worms. It also made our Sunday morning very laid back and relaxed. So relaxed in fact, that we all enjoyed Courtney's pancakes.

While Gigi and Grunkle were in church on Sunday morning, we had some more play time with Tiz. She and I built with her blocks for a bit.

Later, Tiz went fishing with Uncle Cheddah and Lis. After lunch Courtney and Paul helped John and I plant a few more things in our garden while Tiz, Lis, and Cheddah played in their car.

Before I knew it, it was time to send everyone back home. It had been a great Mother's Day weekend for sure.

Then, on to my camera story. To go back a bit, Tiz dropped my new camera on Easter and it was not fixable, so I replaced it with the same camera only a different color and a touch screen. In the meantime, John took a wrench to the old camera and when he pulled off a bit of the lens, it was working again. Not looking so good, but working like a charm. That old camera became Tiz's own camera and I was enjoying my new camera. I had taken a few shots on Mother's Day weekend, (Duh, you know that, you can see them here) anyway, on Monday night when I wanted to do this post, I could not find my camera anywhere. I turned the house upside down and made John dig through old soggy chips, coffee grounds, and beef gravy in the garbage, which by the way, he did without complaint. We gave up the search on Monday at bedtime, but I continued it today and I retraced my steps on Sunday as I cleaned up after everyone left.

Sure enough, I checked in our art cabinet where I had put the crayons and there was my camera! I felt so relieved when I found it!

So, there you have it, my Mother's Day and my camera story!