The Long Birthday Weekend

Todd's 40th Birthday was on Sunday! FORTY!!! We wanted to take a trip over the long weekend, but he had too many things to do to get away. So on Saturday we drove to Hutchinson, KS (abt. 2 1/2 hrs. away) and went to the Cosmosphere. The boys & I had been before, but Todd has wanted to go since we moved here 13 years ago. It was pretty cool. We saw the Imax show "Fly Me to the Moon" and a laboratory demonstration about the invention of rockets and how they work. We always think that the little towns in Kansas don't have very much to do, but the Cosmosphere surprises us with how much stuff they have and how well put together it is! It is a great space musem, in the middle of Kansas! When we got back to Topeka, we had dinner at Red Robin. Love their tower of onion rings! I get the same thing every time - the Parmigiana burger. Tyler and Ryan had big burgers too, but Tyler had his with lettuce & tomato & everything, and Ryan had his plain, only ketchup. It's fun to see their appetites grow and their tastes change as they get older.

Sunday, after church, the boys & I made rolls, ham, cheesy potatoes, green beans, and chocolate cake - Todd's birthday dinner request. He loved it. Then he opened presents - we gave him socks, candy, computer software, & a bag for his new laptop! He was so happy! He also talked to his parents & brother on the phone - that was a treat. So Happy Birthday Todd! We love you!

Then after all that playing, we spent Labor Day laboring. Our storage room in the basement was overflowing and our food storage needed more space. We dragged everything out into the playroom, put together 6 shelving units, sorted through a mountain of belongings, and put only the best stuff back in. With some clever rearranging by Tyler and Todd, we made it fit! We actually have a whole food storage area now with empty shelves to fill up. And we have a place for all the toys, games, books, holiday decorations, sleeping bags, tables, chairs, beds, treadmill, luggage, fabric, and all the other special things we just can't part with. We did fill up the whole van with donations for the Goodwill! It feels so good to have that room cleaned up!

So I am spending the day catching up on all the regular stuff I let go since Friday. Of sourse, I had to start with the blogging! Justin is staying home sick today with a sore throat so it will be a busy day!