Our Marathon Weekend Part Deux

The typical marathon weekend leaves me almost no time for myself when we get home ;o)...So, uploading pictures (and e-mailing and phone calls and a host of other things) have had to be put on the back burner for a few days. I am going to try to zoom through a quick update before Mommy Duty calls. Okay, well, after the excitement of Tony's wedding and the big birthday party, walking downtown and getting everyone to bed late on Friday night, we were exhausted! We decided to lay low for the first part of the day and recuperate. My step brother showed us the work he'd been doing on his new house and then we watched Ella Scott while he and my step dad went to finish more stuff in the old house.
We don't get to see her very often and she and Landon have never gotten to spend much quality time together just playing, so it was really great for all of us! The house was perfect for little ones with open floor plan and big screened-in porches, a play room and a nice yard. There were verandas for them to run around on and an annoyed dog and cat for extra entertainment, should the two of them get bored. Needless to say, they never did. It cracked me up to see how well the kids got along together, even though one was almost three and the other was only one and a half. They climbed on the railing on the back porch together and then did some acrobatics on the Adirondack chairs. Ella Scott copied everything Landon did. Usually it's him copying the big kids he plays with, so this was making him feel like quite the boss--lol! They ran inside and then outside and then inside again, stopping only to have a snack when it was absolutely necessary. At five o'clock, Landon, Andy and I had to hit the road again. We drove out to Folly Beach to go to a barbecue in honor of Tony and Racquel. The night was, again, perfect.
The weather was nice and they had set up a huge buffet table of three different kinds of barbecue, macaroni and cheese, cole slaw, baked beans, desserts...too many choices to even pile on one plate, but we all tried. We all relaxed in front of the ocean until the sun set. Some people played croquet and others started a game of beach football. Watching Tony and Racquel that night reminded me a lot of my "wedding days"--the times when almost everyone Andy and I loved were all in one place at one time, getting to know each other and having fun together. It was sweet to see them smile at each other like they were so in love and so unbelievably happy. Landon loved being able to run free, climb on rocks, and splash in the ocean. By the time we left, his pockets were so filled with shells that he was jingling with every step and just as proud as could be! It was the perfect Southern beach party and we had so much fun! We left there relaxed (and full) and ready for bed! On Sunday, the guys went to Scott and Heather's old house to finish up some painting, leaving mom and me to watch the little ones again. When they were finished working and everything was packed, we ate at a delicious sandwich restaurant called Dog and Duck. They not only have great food, they also have games for children, Lightening McQueen and Disney Princess stepping stools in the bathrooms, and even a water station for dogs outside! If you're ever in that direction, you should definitely check them out! After we ate, we headed back toward home. We stopped at Andy's Grandma's house again for a HUGE dinner (as if we NEEDED a huge dinner!! LOL!) and then drove the last hour and a half back to our house, ending our long and wonderful marathon weekend. Tah Daaaaah!

**I left the part out about having to make an emergency pit stop at my dad's house at 10:30 at night to pee 15 minutes from home. You're welcome**