About Last Weekend

I feel like lately I've kind of fallen out of the groove of blogging about our daily lives. So, here is a quick peek at what went on in BralyLand last weekend. We woke up on Saturday morning with no plans whatsoever, so I threw out the idea of one last visit to the Fernbank Museum of Natural History, because our membership (carried over from Pittsburgh) expires at the end of January. My crew was down with that. It took some time for us all to mobilize, but we were on our way out the door just before 10:30. When we first arrived at the museum, we went downstairs to check out the area where they have the traveling exhibit. The last time we were there, it was about Marco Polo; however, that is now gone, and the new "Whales: Giants of the Deep" exhibit has yet to open. So, we made a beeline for NatureQuest, where our kiddos were more than happy to run around and explore for the next hour or so. 

Balance-beaming on a tree trunk.

Captaining the sub.

A canoe built for two.

"I'm on a boat!"

Going down the rabbit hole.

Concentrated climber.

Piecing together a broken vase.

My pottery puzzle master.

A bit after noon, the boys were complaining of hunger, so we headed downstairs to have lunch. Malone was clearly not too pleased with her older brother's attempts to guide her to the cafe...

"Just let me walk by myself, dangit!"

Thankfully Sister calmed down once she was in her highchair with a cup of milk and a sandwich in hand. We decided to bid farewell to Fernbank right after eating so that we could make a quick stop at a children's shoe store on the way home for naps. That night we opted to stay in -- beef enchiladas for dinner, followed by Star Wars: Episode IV movie night (and, of course, popcorn) in our living room. For different reasons, all three Braly boys were very happy campers. 

On Sunday morning Mommy was running behind, which meant that we were late for church (and by "late", I mean that we arrived at 9:45 instead of 9:30 for the 10:00 service). When we went to check in the munchkins, Maloney's room was already at maximum capacity. Lesson learned. So, Mommy and Daddy had a tagalong for the gathering. 

Not sure what to think about being with all these grownups!

Of course, Baby Girl did awesome and thoroughly enjoyed worship; however, when it came time for the message, she and I snuck out with several other parents and their wee ones. Mommy was able to catch some of what Louie shared, but for the most part I spent the next hour pleasantly distracted by this cutie patootie:

"Am I under arrest??"

Our social butterfly made lots of friends in the lobby.

Though the second half of church was certainly entertaining for me, I can assure you that we'll do everything in our power to arrive at our normal time next week, so that every child gets a spot in his/her respective room in Bloom. :) 

After picking up big brothers, our family headed to Mason Mill Park for a picnic lunch and some playground time. Due to chillier temperatures, this Sunday afternoon tradition had to be temporarily abandoned, but we thought it was warm enough to resume this particular weekend. Unfortunately, our middle child spent a good portion of his time there throwing fits about one thing or another, so he didn't make it into any of the pictures I snapped. 

As always, headed for the slides.

Quickly realized he didn't want to ride on the bow of the pirate ship. 

Would rather slide with Sister, instead.

Though the look on her face says otherwise, she's lovin' it.

Around 1:15, it was clearly time to pack up our brood and head home. Porter had already been taken to the car because of his poor behavior, and his siblings were getting worn out, too. When we were back at the house and heading up for naptime, Malone's forehead and the bottom corner of the staircase had a little disagreement, and the stairs won. :( I was relieved to hear Daddy immediately say that she wouldn't need stitches (unlike Kaiser, who gashed his head open at Oma's + T-Pa's a couple of years back and had to be taken to the ER -- what a nightmare); however, I of course was worried about the scar it would leave behind on her pretty face. Call me sexist, but it's just different with girls. Our sweetheart was so brave (I really think she would have stopped crying within seconds if we hadn't kept putting ice on her head), but walked away with her very first battle wound. 

Later that night, in all its glory.

She seems rather proud of it.

"Check me out!"

Though a blow to our daughter's face wasn't necessarily my ideal way to wrap up our weekend, I am grateful that she fell the way she did and that Jesus protected her from a much worse injury. We are keeping it covered in triple antibiotic ointment and hoping that it won't be long until the only evidence of her wound are the photos taken as it heals.

And, just like that, one weekend is recapped, and another is upon us! Happy Friday, Y'all!