The Past 5 Days

The past 5 days have been the best! Thursday we kicked it off with a very busy day. We had a full day of school and then raced to P's first ever cross country meet. He pushed hard for the entire mile that he ran and came in 36th out of 78 boys! We were so proud of him! Then we raced to E's football game, where he threw his first touchdown pass. Minutes after his game ended, P's game began. He worked it on defense, pulling 6 flags from his opponents.
Friday was chaotic because I was supposed to accompany my Pre-K class to the pumpkin patch. But we ended up getting a tropical storm so we ended up at the movies instead. After school I ran errands with the intent of the boys and I making homemade pizzas for dinner. But, while checking out at the store, Rob said he was on his way home. Since it was his birthday, we changed plans and went to TX Roadhouse instead. He enjoyed his steak dinner and I enjoyed our bill only being $3.72, thanks to a gift certificate. Afterwards, Rob and I had a TV date night while we waited for AAA to come unlock his keys out of his truck. I was glad we were able to spend time together because this was the last time I saw him for the weekend. With the tropical storm and his new position at the company, he put in a 18 hour day yesterday and finishing another 18+ hour day today.
Saturday the boys and I were going to go hit up a local corn maze. But the tropical storm curbed those plans. Instead, P and I went to my friend's yard sale and to a couple stores to get my Halloween costume props. Then we picked up E and his best friend and headed to the local trampoline park. We ended Saturday night at a neighborhood Halloween party. It was complete with a haunted house, photo booth and bounce house. Needless to say, we all slept good last night!
Today we started the day at church and ended the day at church. This afternoon we met up with friends for our church's Fall Fest. The kids loved playing games and eating handfuls of candy!
Halloween is not my favorite holiday but I sure have loved all the festivities this weekend. I even enjoyed dressing up in a costume for the first time since P was a baby. Now it's off to bed to get rested up for another busy week. G'night all!

Tears

I'm not a girly girl. I am not overly dramatic (most of the time) and I am not an overly emotional person. That being said, I have shed my share of tears over my lifetime. But, at some point in the past 10 years, my tears dried up and my heart was hardened. I can't remember a specific incident where this happened. It just happened over the course of time. There have been times where I have tried to force myself to cry because I felt the situation warranted tears. There have been times that I have wanted to cry because it would relieve stress. None of those things worked. So, sadly, as a last resort I turned to prayer. I prayed that the Lord would soften my heart so tears could flow when needed. And, over the past month, that prayer has been answered. I have cried 3 or 4 times- over hurt feelings, feeling like a failing parent, scared over a family member's health concern that we never seem to get definitive answers on. I don't cry every night or over every situation but I can feel my heart softening. I have cried and it has felt good to have that release. Now let's hope the Lord doesn't take it to the extreme, where I become a bumbling mess at the drop of a hat. HA!

Catching Up

Since I will print these blogs one day, tonight I'm just going to play catch up on our family happenings. You see, most of the US starts hunkering down come Fall because they are getting ready for cold weather. But, in the South everything ramps up because it's finally cool enough to leave the air conditioned house. So, needless to say, our life has been busy this month. Between football starting up, celebrating birthdays, sleepovers and school activities, I look forward to the rare night we have nothing to do.
The boys' football has been consuming 3 nights a week. I love watching them play and I am so glad that they'll start playing games this week. On top of football, P has been busy with school events. Last week he got chosen to do a 4-H event at the fairgrounds. After he got chosen, he decided he didn't want to do it because it conflicted with his football practice. But, we talked to him about making a commitment and being a team player. Although his group did not do well at the event, he had a good attitude and encouraged his peers during each activity. Last week he also found out that he made his school's cross country team. Thankfully he only has one meet this season. So this week he will race at this meet, come home to change and then head to his football game. Oh, and if that isn't enough, on Sunday afternoons, P has guitar lessons. Out of all the things he does, this is the one I enjoy the most because he has really flourished. It is so much fun watching him learn new songs!
On nights that I'm not cheering on our boys at their games, I am at the gym with a good friend. I don't get there as often as I'd like but I take advantage of it when I can. Sometimes I go more to see my friend and catch up with her than to get in a workout. But I don't take that time for granted.
Last week was my birthday. It wasn't anything exciting but I appreciated all the love people showed with texts, gifts, cards, phone calls and flowers. The day after my birthday we went to the LSU Homecoming parade as a family, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Then I met up with a couple of good friends for dinner. For the first time since moving to the South, I have started looking forward to college football games. So we cut dinner short because two of us wanted to get home to watch the LSU/Florida game. Ha!
My biggest boy starts his new job this week. It'll probably be an adjustment for all of us as we've gotten used to him being home. Rob going back to work last week was weird because he has been such a big help these past couple months. But, I am happy for his job promotion and am so proud of him for obtaining this new position.
And, in between all this other fun, the boys have been having sleepovers with friends. Last week P spent the night at his friend's house. Tonight that same friend is spending the night at our house. Then, I told E that next weekend he can have his friend spend the night.
As busy as we are, I wouldn't change it. I LOVE this busy season of life. I LOVE watching the boys do things they love. Yes, I get tired and worn out. Yes, sometimes I sigh a breath of relief when I get a text that football has been cancelled because of bad weather. But, overall, I LOVE it! I love our crazy, busy life!!