Monday, Monday

Another rambling Monday! This one very different in ways as Kolby is home in celebration of Columbus Day. Really?! Columbus Day? I think it is just Midway's excuse for a teacher workday. Most parents are going to mandatory 30 minute conferences with teachers today,but Mrs. M and I have already conferenced twice so I get to sit this one out.

We had a great weekend. The weather was perfect! I love days where it is sunny and the high is in the 70s! It seems we only get a few of those days a year in the late Fall and early Spring. This weekend we had two of them and I loved it! Friday night my Mom and I took dinner to my cousin as it was her first night home from the hospital. Baby Susannah is doing quite well, and despite the fact that I keep calling her Savannah, she seems to fit right in. So far she is a sweet laid-back baby!

Friday night Rhett had his first sleep over with his little cousins Scarlett and Justin. I have never seen him more excited! From all I have heard, they had a great time. Thanks R & M for hosting! Rhett had a 9AM soccer game Saturday morning that he almost didn't want to leave Justin's house to go to, but a bag of doughnut holes and the promise of new soccer shirts pulled him away. The bluejays lost but still had fun. Rhett does not understand why he did not get to score a goal this time. Much to learn about sportmenship he has! (Yoda would be so proud of that last sentence!)

Kolby hosted her cousin Samantha for a sleep over at our house the same night. As usual the girls planned to do a months worth of activities in one night and pooped out around midnight! Sweet girls! Poor Sam woke up with a high fever which really put a damper on the girls plans. It was not fun to have to call my cousin to say her oldest had a fever the morning after she brought a new born home from the hospital...but such is life. Sam went to the doctor with her Dad and spent the day in bed at her Grandparents. From what I hear she staying away from the baby and feeling better.

Saturday afternoon was Kolby's school carnival. It was so much fun this year because the weather was perfect! We had a great time and the kids came back with arms full of prizes and candy. Rhett won a dozen cupcakes in the cake walk! One of my favorite memories is winning a cake in the cake walk at my school carnival when I was in first grade. I thought it was the greatest thing ever! A whole cake just for me! Kolby has won a cake the last two years and was very excited for her brother. Rhett carried those cupcakes around like they were made of gold. It was really cute.

I'm glad my kids are able to make some of the same great memories I made a child. I have been thinking a lot about the memories my kids will have of their childhood. It is so easy to get caught up in the schedules and worries of today. I have to stop myself from time to time and remember that these ARE the best of days. My kids are growing so fast. I hope and pray that Rob and I truly appreciate these times for what they are and seize every opportunity to make great memories with our kids. It's easy to loose that perspective.

Sunday it was the perfect weather again. After church and lunch the kids played in the yard with neighbors while Rob and I attacked the flower beds ! After three year of trying to keep a flower bed around one of the trees in our front yard, yesterday I gave up! Rob dug it all up. All the bulbs, all the mondo grass, and all the annuals and perennials that I have planted over the years have died mid-season and eventually been over taken by our ever spreading Bermuda grass. I ran to the closest nursery yesterday afternoon and bought $25 dollars worth of jasmine.

Yes, we planted the whole bed with ground crawling, hard to kill jasmine. If the Jasmine dies, I think we will pave over the whole yard!!!! We also transplanted a strange tree/bush that sprouted and grew five feet this summer in one of our side beds to the backyard. Still have no idea what kind of a tree/shrub this is but I hope it thrives as well in it's new home. There is probably a lesson in all of that. The plants I tried to bring in all died, but the one thing that sprouted all on it's own thrived.

I'm sure DJG could pull a great analogy out of that, but I have two little ones waiting for me to make their lunch so I will leave the analogies for another blog. Happy Monday everyone!

P.S. I detect the "ZOE afterglow" in so many of the blogs I read today! I am glad it was good for all of you! Despite my cries of being green with envy, I am truly glad so many in blog land were able to attend and I look forward to hearing about all you learned! NEXT YEAR!!!!