Just ducky!

It always feels good to get away, even if only for a little while. The kids and I piled into the car and drove to Bend for the weekend to see family. It took me half the morning to pack and prepare, so we didn't get going until about noon. I had planned on stopping in some places along the way, but ended up just drivng straight through (except for potty breaks and to fill up the car) to make in time for dinner. Hubby wasn't up for the trip, so he stayed behind and hung out with some close friends of ours. He said he spend most of Saturday there. On Friday night, my folks treated us to dinner out at Ranchero's Mexican Restaurant. It was very, very good food. I'm always up for chips 'n salsa though...:) It was all so filling that I couldn't even finish my enchilada and tamale combo meal. Okay, enough about food.

On Saturday morning, my mom and I ran some errands and had McDonald's for lunch. It was fun spending time with just her. Later in the afternoon, mom, K, and I went to a baby shower while N hung out with Grandpa and Tyler. They went to go feed the ducks at a local park. At the baby shower, we spend the majority of the time watching my cousin open her giffies...all one million of them. It was the biggest haul of presents I have ever seen at any shower I've ever been to. It was amazing and my cousin Val was completely overwhelmed. Part of the reason it took so long was because my cousin (bless her heart) opens wrapping paper with meticulous attention to detail...being careful not to tear it. The ironic thing is I don't think she even keeps the wrapping paper afterwards. It's kinda cute actually, my mother does the same thing and we tease them both every Christmas and birthday.

It was fun until the very end when K wandered off. She had been by my side while I was saying goodbye to some people. Next thing I knew, she had gone outside and had all of us looking frantically for her. There was a pond nearby that made all of us nervous. I had initially thought it was like a litle wading pond, not a miniature lake! Luckily, Val's grandfather spotted K playing balance beam on a side wall in a place I hadn't thought to check. Ooooh did I give her a reality check. I got in her face and told her how scared everyone was and that we didn't know where she was. She said she was sorry and proceeded to give me a big hug. After the horrible incident last fall with Nicky missing after school, my heart did major flip flops. It was a good reality check for me in that it takes only a second for something to happen. It's so easy to let down your guard, but you can't ever with kids.

We ended the day with a little BBQ b-day party for K. Her b-day is Wednesday, but we thought it would be fun to celebrate with family while we were in town. I can't believe my baby girl is gonna be four years old! We ate cupcakes for dessert and she opened a few presents. That's the great thing about K, it takes so little to please her. She gets excited about just about anything. I had found a cute little rubber ducky that had a soccer ball theme to it. She loves all the funky little rubber ducks out there and this one was no exception. After we were done for the evening, I wanted to spend a some quality time with my nephew/little brother, Tyler. So we went to see a movie that night, Knocked Up. We originally talked about seeing Pirates 3, but I knew Hubby would blow a head gasket if I dared to see it without him. He has been dying to see it. So we chose the comedy instead and were in hysterics the whole time. That was a freakin' hilarious movie! Tyler and I laughed so hard, we were both in tears.

The next day, I opted to leave around 11:30 in the morning to get an early start back. However, once we were on our way the kids asked to go feed the ducks. Since K hadn't had a chance to do it like N, I found a local market to get a loaf of bread. We spent about an hour or so walking the trail and feeding different ducks. There was a swan that seemed to intimidate all ducks, keeping them at bay. I also managed to get the kids to pose for a some pictures. I love the backdrop of Mirror Pond (it's more like a river though) and all of the willow trees that droop over. It's really a fabulous park. I should know, I grew up going there myself. Anyhow, it was a really great weekend for the kids and I. We got back just in time for dinner. Hubby BBQ'd some delicious porkchops for us and was exceptionally sweet. All in all, I had an awesome weekend.