Memorial Day Weekend, and Five Years

This is how Ford kicked off the long weekend. In a towel, in Mom and Dad's bed, eating waffles with Nutella. In my next life, I'm definitely coming back as one of my kids.

I hate hate hate missing out on a big trip for one of my favorite holiday weekends, especially since we originally started a tradition of going back to Maine, where we got married, since the 28th is also our anniversary.


Unfortunately, USMA graduation kills Memorial Day weekend, and we didn't even go since it was about 105 degrees. I did get to participate in the commissioning of this kid with some spectacular Army girlfriends, which was awesome, and Seth did a commissioning for one of his mentees.

Still, the traffic was crazy and there were porto-lets everywhere, and on Sunday we fled for incredible Stepping Stones Children's Museum in Connecticut. Which was obviously awesome.

Even if all Ford wanted to do was drive this bus. (And check out Finley the astronaut!)

After which we had rainy day clam chowder on the Norwalk waterfront at this incredible Irish bar that had bar table-height high chairs. Our kind of place!

We spent the rest of the weekend, despite the crummy weather, as it was meant to be spent. Riding bikes outside,

remembering the fallen (here, adding rocks to the cairn on top of Popolopen Torne),

and being conned by the people we love into doing things we absolutely despise. And by "we," there, I mean "me." And by "things we absolutely despise" I mean "Dave and Buster's. With toddlers."

This is how we spent our anniversary. Plus the Disney store, which was too frenetic to get pictures but resulted in presents for both of the spoiled beasts. And Seth and the kids had so much fun, I couldn't do anything but crack up (and worry about sensory overload, and wonder what they had on draught.)

Five years (!!) in, life on Team Nieman continues to be a crazy, unpredictable, sometimes tough but always full of laughter, ride. It would be silly to say we wouldn't change a thing- we'd love for everybody to be up on two feet, for e- but we never stop feeling grateful.

Especially for these little crazies. This might be my favorite of the week. Finley the Star, singing Taylor Swift in a fisherman's hat and loving the "microphone" at the Children's Museum.