Insanely Busy Weekend

Okay, I admit it right up front. I have no pictures from the weekend. We took the camera. It's just....you know. Actually living life got in the way of digitally recording it for all posterity. And such glorious weather, too....sigh.
So Saturday, we went to the Springs Folk Festival in nearby Springs, PA. Held every Fall, and in it's 50th year, it's a wonderful festival full of food, crafts, artisans, music, storytelling and peaceful, gentle people. (Good thing, because Matthew got away from us at one point, almost giving me a heart attack, or at least palpitations, but I digress.....and since I don't want to relive that moment, I won't go into detail. He's fine, we're fine, from now on, he gets the harness.) ANYWAY, this festival is wondrous because at any of the food stands, you get the food that they are making right there, in the moment. Like doughnuts being fried and sugared in front of you, and brought to you, literally still hot and still leaking hot grease into the napkin. Bread being baked in outdoor ovens, sliced hot and schmeared with apple butter being stirred 10 feet away, or with real butter being churned nearby. Ice cream being cranked into the container, scooped out into a cup and presented to you. Maple syrup boiling away, maple candy, sugar and syrup right there for purchase. I could go on and on. We arrived hungry, left not so hungry, and I got some nice goodies to take home. Did I mention all the food? ;-)
And Sunday? Oh my - what a nonstop day. Started at 9am with chuch, at which I both sing in the choir and play my flute, all while helping Mark mind our little guys, while trying to make sure they're not falling down the choir loft (very steep) steps and throwing their sippy cups over the front of the loft and into the congregation below. Most days, they're really good. Today, not so good. We had to leave a few minutes early, because Matthew was approaching full-blown melt-down, and Jonathan wasn't his best - which AT BEST, isn't wonderful.
Now usually after church, we get some breakfast. Today was different - we had a baptism at 1pm, and today happened to be our church's first annual Spaghetti Dinner. So we decided to go eat spaghetti for lunch, but while we waited for the doors to open, we went downtown to kill some time and get some cappucinos. Walked the kids around downtown, and went back up to the church and settled in for an Italian feast, which was pretty good! We met some nice folks from our church and talked awhile - which is nice because Mark and I have only been parishoners there for about 9 months now. We're getting to know people, and that makes me happy.
After using about a dozen wipes cleaning up the kids (what was I thinking - red sauce before a baptism?), we left and crossed the street back to church for my friend's Judi and Jeff's little boy's baptism. What was special about this is that they had asked me to be his Godmother. So I found myself standing up for this tiny little baby (Jeff and Judi's 5th boy, BTW) and feeling overwhelmed at the level of love, friendship and community I'm starting to feel in this little mountain home of ours lately!
After the baptism, I took Mark and Matthew home. Matthew wasn't his best all day, and he really needed the nap. But Jonathan and I changed clothes and headed over to the post-baptism party, where Jonathan played hard for most of the rest of the afternoon with Jeff and Judi's four other boys! We returned home in time for me to sling some supper at the boys, give Jonathan a bath, and change my clothes (for the third time) to go to the first practice of the Western Maryland combined choirs - every year all the church choirs get together and do a Christmas concert. I didn't know tonight was the first night until the last minute. With all I did today, I wasn't sure I was going to bother going, but I wanted to make the FIRST practice. Glad I did - we're singing some beautiful music this year and I've got a lot of work to do to learn it, both with my voice, and my flute!
So I'm home now - grateful for a beautiful weekend full of family, friends, and faith.
The best part? Tomorrow's Columbus Day! A holiday for Mark, so my Monday, Monday routine won't be so yucky tomorrow - I'll have ALL my boys home all day!