A few fun days with the Haags!

 Like I said in my previous post, when I got home from my sister weekend last Monday evening, it was GO TIME!!  With all that there was to do, I still had to visit my flowers, of course.  Here are some pictures I took.

Dick had power washed the side porch, and on Wednesday I gave it a really quick coat of paint with a broom!  That porch needs to be done right some year, but no time for that this year! 

On Thursday I cleaned the whole house and got two guest beds ready - the queen bed in the guest room and the air mattress in the office.  

Lisa, George, and Sophie had flown Southwest from Tampa to Baltimore, then drove here from Baltimore.  I think they got here around 1:30.  They had had a VERY early start!

I was making the Ginger Sweet Potato Lentil Stew that Sophie had requested, so they sat in the kitchen and we talked as I cooked.  Good grief!!  I do not usually talk and cook at the same time, hahaha!  I'm really surprised it turned out ok!

Later I snapped this cute picture of Sophie and Lisa.  We were entertained by a very active blue bird all weekend.  

Actually, there were lots of birds at the feeder.  And we spotted a humming bird a few times too!  Sophie took this spectacular picture of it!!

After a while Dick got home from work.

And eventually Anthony and the boys arrived.  Lori had work in Harrisburg that day, so she wasn't able to get back in time to be with us for dinner.  We had a GREAT evening together!!  So much catching up to do!

And games to play!!  I played a round of Blokus with the kids.

Then a game of Scrabble.  Austin sat there playing a game on his phone the entire time, stopping when it was his turn in Scrabble.   The rest of us sat there looking where we could go next and still weren't ready to go when it was our turn.  But guess who won????  Austin.  Ugh.  Sophie and I couldn't believe it.  I think Hunter was second highest.  What are we going to do with those boys??

On Friday everyone slept in. (Except me.)  Dick took a vacation day.  Later in the morning Dick took George and Sophie to the track at our local high school so she could practice.  

Apparently George worked out too.  Dick got these pictures of him, lol!

The weather was fabulous - warm, but not humid.  We decided to go to the Penn State Arboretum.  They had never been there!  I could hardly believe that.  They are both Penn State alums, but the arboretum was not here back in the 90's.  George graduated in '96, Lisa in '97.  They met here in the summer of '95, a really cute story I probably told before.  

Photo bomber!

When we left the arboretum we went downtown to do some walking and shopping.  However, when we had parked in a parking garage, Dick realized he didn't have his phone.  I checked on my phone, and it showed me that his phone was still at the arboretum.  So Dick and I went there to search for it.  The "find my phone" app took us to it.  

Then we went back downtown.  By that time they had found the souvenirs they wanted and were ready to go home.  I was kind of disappointed because I love to walk on campus, which we had planned to do. But my feet were telling me I had probably walked enough.  

We relaxed at home for a while then went over to Anthony and Lori's for a cookout.  Again we had a fabulous time!!  The weather was so perfect! 

 

As Lori, Lisa, and I sat talking, I picked up my phone to take a picture of Lisa.  She noticed and said, "Mom!"  I said, "You look so beautiful!"  Lori agreed with me, so I took it.  

We had a great view of the sunset.

Sophie was running on their treadmill, and Hunter was monitoring her speed, etc.  He went to get Lisa and told her she had to watch Sophie because she is FAST!!  As she got faster and faster he told her to hang on so she doesn't fly off.  At one point he exclaimed, "Ohhhhh my GOSH!!!"  He was clearly impressed.  It was so, so cute!

Sophie and I enjoyed hearing a song that Austin has been working on.  I can't remember the title.  I guess he's been playing two months now.  His long fingers!!  How I would love to have fingers like that!  And what a memory!

I snapped this picture before we left for home.  These two used to be our little ones.  Time just flies by way too fast.  

This was us back in August 1979.

On Saturday Lisa helped me to cut some of my flowers and arrange them in vases.  She inherited Dick's mother's artistic flare.  

Later we went over to Anthony and Lori's.   I took sloppy joe meat and all the fixin's for our lunch.  That was another request of Sophie's.  

I finally got to relax on their screened-in porch for the first time this summer.  One of my favorite places.  I think I napped a bit. 

Lori has a container garden on their deck.  And how about that hydrangea?  I think it has three different colors of blooms.

Lisa and Anthony are into walking backwards.  Apparently it has good benefits.  So they walked backwards up Anthony's hill SIX times in a row!!  

Sophie and Hunter were having fun on the swing.  He loves to be dramatic and act like he's scared, haha!  And he likes to make his shoes fly off too.

Eventually everyone got showered and dressed for dinner.  We went to Axemann Brewery and decided to eat outdoors.  We had a really good time.

Sophie wanted to recreate this picture from two years ago - the last time these three cousins were together.  

And here they are two years later!  I think the boys grew just a tad, haha!

Grandpa and Grandma who started it all!

We all came to our house afterward for ice cream and just a bit more time together.  

And that was it.  Anthony and Lori and the boys said their goodbyes.  Austin even hugged Sophie, something he is not prone to do.  

The next morning Dick and I left for church, and Lisa's family left for the Baltimore airport.  My heart felt so full.  And my body so tired.  

I spent the rest of the day working ahead on choosing music for the next month.  I will be in Portland two Sundays,  but I still choose the music for my sub.  

And that's all for this time! I think we'll be having Elizer here this weekend, so hopefully I'll have time to blog before we leave for Portland next week.