Happy belated Memorial Day! It's June on Thursday - not even possible. Guess it's been about three weeks since my last bout of revelations. It seems like I've blinked and my parents have been here for two weeks already. We spent a few days on the coast of beautiful Slovenia in Piran and north of Llublijana at Lake Bled last week, which was amazing. I recommend Piran for anyone looking for a seaside getaway off the beaten path. It's such a cool place to hang out for a couple days. Hotel Piran worked for us. It's not five stars but it's clean, and it sits right on the seaside. We came back to Budapest late Thursday night, did some laundry, repacked, and headed off to Somlo (Hungary) for the weekend. We had the kids with us the second trip out, and they really loved being out in the countryside. I should say they loved being on a beautiful hill, which was once a volcano, in the countryside. Our friends Sue and Peter have a vineyard there, with a big welcoming, weekend home/retreat. We drank lots of their wine, and relaxed like crazy. I had informed the monkeys before departure that there would be absolutely no electronics on board for the weekend - no DVDs, no PSPs, no PS2, etc. (Liam is actually grounded from the PSP, PS2, and his skateboard until this coming Friday). The moans and groans lasted awhile, but in the end they had the best weekend ever, just being outside and finding things to entertain themselves. Sue and Peter have a giant wine-making tub that became their instant best friend (see photo blog). They hid in it. They splashed in it. They got inside and rolled eachother around until they were exhausted. They used it for a basketball hoop. Who knew that a big plastic tub could give so much joy. Somlo is a heavenly place. I think Bill and I would be totally happy to spend the rest of our days in a place like that, away from the world. Neither of us are particularly into the 'one with nature' scene, but a lifestyle like that really appeals to both of us. Maybe someday we will figure out how to make it happen.

Frolicking deep in the Hungarian jungle over the weekend, I also witnessed a very important passage. We went down to the local farmers' market/flea market/swap meet in Ajka (ah-ee-ka) Saturday morning, 12 kilometers from Somlovasarhely (Somlo), which in itself was something to experience. After only eleven years in Hungary, Bill ate a langos (Lahn-go-sh) for the first time ever. A langos, for those of you who haven't experienced this Magyar delicacy, is nothing more than a big lump of greasy bread dough, deep-fried, then piled high with sour cream and shredded cheese. Talk about a heart attack for breakfast - the grease actually drips off of the thing - but I must tell you that it is yummy. We all got one and then sat in the grass outside the market devouring them. To passers by who heard us speaking English, this must have been quite a sight. Afterwards, we drove back to Sue and Peter's place, stopping to take pictures of the fields and fields of poppies along the roadside. We have decided that it's very likely we will spend another weekend in Somlo this summer.

No great plans for the rest of the week. We were contemplating another two-day jaunt somewhere but have decided to hang here for the weekend. Thinking that we'll check out either the new Spiderman or Pirate movie tomorrow, depending on the weather and how the mood strikes. I could happily miss both, but unfortunately they won't go for a chick flick. On the topic of chick flicks, I played catch-up last night and watched the last four episodes of Veronica Mars. I love that show! And it didn't get picked up for a fourth season, so I will have to find something else to love come September. What will it be? Something between Heroes (too much doomsday and gore for me) and the fluffy stuff like Gilmore Girls. Let me know if you have any suggestions.

Front page news here at Chez McGann - Liam lost his other front tooth last night. He was so cute - way beyond distraught when he realized that he could no longer say 's' words without sounding goofy. We layed in bed and talked about it for awhile, discussing the fact that his teeth will be back in no time. And as soon as he found the 400 HUF under his pillow this morning, the rest was history. Who says money can't buy happiness? :) We are all camping out in our room at the moment, the boys because my parents have taken over their room, and Keira because she just never wants to stay in her own bed. She starts out there, but it never lasts long. I remember going through this with Riley, but somehow we had alot more stamina then. Three kids and ten years later, we just roll over and let her climb up. Need to work on that. Maybe after the summer chaos.

The boys are home again from school this week, the last of many, many, holidays they have had this year. They start back on Monday and continue through June. We are still planning to lay pretty low for the summer, with the exception of a couple weeks in France in August. We will drive down, spending a couple days on the way there and back to make the drive a bit easier. Not sure how long it takes actually, but will leave the logistics of that effort on the hubby's plate. Riley and Liam will go to pottery camp the first week of July, then Riley has a tennis camp from the 16th-21st. We are still pondering a camp at Lake Balaton in August, but that may end up getting cut from the budget. Camp sure as heck doesn't cost what it used to. Thinking back to my wonderful youth, I was overjoyed at the thought of an unencumbered, un-action-packed summer. I probably remember it differently than it was, but organized camps and exotic vacations certainly weren't on the docket. And guess what? I turned out just fine. At least I think I did.

I should probably go open the fridge and hope something screams out to me in the way of dinner. I haven't done a whole lot today, but I'm convinced that there is a direct correlation between the business of the day and my desire to cook dinner. If I've been running all day, it just seems easier to hit the kitchen running. If not, I'm not so motivated. Not complaining, just noting. Anyway, will close for now. Ciao!