This weekend was fun for the kids AND mom and dad. It’s shocking, I know. I’ll give you a few minutes to digest.

Saturday started off slow. we lazily all got showers, dressed, and on the road to Fairview Heights. This has become our annual pilgrimage to get clothes for the kids’ new school year. Usually there are great sales, and Emily loves to shop for anything.

We decided to stop at Olive Garden for lunch (Emily decided really). Erich had pizza, Amaya had spaghetti, and Emily and I both had chicken parmesan. Amaya had about 2 bites of spaghetti and was done. Shortly thereafter she and I went to the car ahead of Emily and Erich. For some reason she just cannot handle being in one spot for any amount of time, and I was not about to let her disturb the whole restaurant.

Once we were outside, Amaya was actually pretty calm as we waited the few minutes for Emily and Erich. Then we were off to find clothes. Shopping turned out to be fairly painless and the kids got a lot of new clothes. As it seemed to be the theme of the day, Amaya and I got to go to the car again while Emily and Erich finished up.

Finally we hopped back on ye ole interstate to head home. Unfortunately I was informed that we HAD to stop by Target. What is it about that place that draws people in? It’s WM, only in red. What’s the big deal? I still don’t get it, but we stopped, picked up some more “stuff” and headed home.

Later in the evening I decided it was time to go to the drive-in. Talladega Nights and Monster House were playing that night. I have to say that Will Ferrell does not disappoint. If you saw Anchorman and were amused, then you should like Talladega as well. It’s not quite as well put together, but it’s good for some laughs. Monster house was a little twisted for little kids, but 10+ should be able to handle it well.

Emily and I were ready to leave after Talladega, but Erich woke up as we were getting ready to pull out. So we had to stay for Monster House. I think we got home at about 1AM.

Sunday we decided to go to the lake. We gathered swimsuits and towels and took off. The kids had fun splashing, playing, and generally being kids. After 2 hours we packed up and headed out. Unfortunately Amaya and I have the mysterious Rend Lake illness that we seem to get every time we go down there. Coughing, sore throat, and generally feeling awful. I guess that’s the price you pay for swimming for free though.