So long summer!

Happy Labor Day!  Does anyone really know what this holiday is all about?  I didn't.  So I looked it up on Wikipedia and after reading over the entry I still didn't get it.  All I know is that it signifies the end of summer and the beginning of college football season.  And in my personal life it also seems to be the time of year when all my friends are having babies.  Laboring on Labor Day ... how cute!

So we have been wringing out the last few drops of summer with some special guests.  Last weekend Jon's sister and her four boys came for a visit.  Jack had a blast with his older cousins.  They kept him so occupied that we saw very little of him the whole weekend, and thus I have no pictures.

This past weekend Jon's parents came for a visit.  To continue our theme of getting to know our new homeland, we dropped by George Washington's house for a beautiful afternoon of sightseeing.

Notice I said afternoon.  How silly of us to assume Jack would enjoy a historial tour smack in the middle of naptime.  Needless to say, it got a little rough.  But Mt. Vernon is quite stunning.  There is so much to see and learn about, we never really got to it all.  We'll certainly be making a trip back.  Perhaps childless, or at least during one of Jack's happier hours.

Mount Vernon

Mount Vernon during naptime.

I did learn a lot about our first president in the little we did see and do.  Enough to make me want to learn more.  So I think I'll be checking out "George Washington" books at the library this next week.  What I was most impressed with, other than the remarkable views from the front porch, was that his estate was entirely self-sufficient.  Not that that wasn't unusual in his day, but it's just something I loved to see firsthand.  Kinda like this modern family, only a bit more charming.

Kisses for Mommy.

... wiping away kisses for Mommy.

On Sunday Jon's aunt, uncle and cousins stopped by for a few hours while driving through.  Aunt Julie and Uncle Bob have let us "crash" their parties on more than one occasion while we lived in Virginia.  So Jon and I were more than happy to host our favorite hosts for the evening.  Hopefully the trend continues, we have a lot of favors to repay.  It was the most perfect end-of-summer day.  Cool and cloudless.  Jack's laughter was wafting through the open windows, I was wearing jeans, Jude was snug in a hoodie, spicy candles were burning in all the rooms, marshmallows were toasting over the fire chimney and our house was full of friendly faces.  Just the way we like it!

I also had my first successful garden harvest dish (other than a few random tomatoes) - pesto!  I've never made it before this week ... I'm not even sure if I've ever tasted it.  But ooo I've fallen in love!  Maybe next year I'll just plant an entire garden of basil, since so far that is the one plant that has actually had a healthy production.

Unfortunately, the cool spell seems to have ended.  Jon and his dad went biking this morning and then took the boys to the pool so us ladies could go shopping ... without kids.  It's definitely something that doesn't happen often enough around here.  I spent the first half-hour looking over my shoulder to check on the boys in the non-existent stroller, but eventually I got used to shopping alone and having both hands free to hold things.  And did I ever hold things.  Pretty much cleaned out the summer clearance rack at Old Navy.  But really, it's hard to top $.33 shirt and $3.00 jeans.  And coming home with such steals really just made my day!

Nonnie gave Jack a blue lollipop.

What a way to end summer ... I think.  I mean, we've been trying to end summer around here for a few weeks now.  But Mother Nature must not be getting my memos.  But  if Wikipedia says this is the end of summer, and wikipedia is always right, what do you call the time between now and September 21?