Going crazy at the end of a full weekend

We have a very full life with lots of adventures, places to be, friends to visit and that means that exhaustion hits us all on occasion.  During these times, there is a lot of tension in our house.  We all have our "triggers" for losing our tempers and when it happens, Daddy and I do our best to apologize and keep going.  When the storm has passed and we can review the events with a clear mind, it's usually easy to see where we lose our way.  Then all we can do is try to remember the next time we are losing our patience.  So we learn from it and avoid repeating our mistakes.  It's vital that we take the time we need for ourselves to simply breathe and look at the big picture of our life.

Even More from September

We devoted a day to go to the Renaissance Festival with the Murphy's again.  Ely even came and gorged himself in discarded food.  Thankfully there were no ill effects, just a very tired dog at the end of the day.  The girls had a ball on rides and all the adults got plenty of time to catch up.  It was a good day!

Daddy had to leave for work again, though we kept ourselves busy as always.  Thank you to the grandparents for helping out in his absence!

We also had Samantha's school fundraiser which was a Family Fun Run.  Auntie She came and we all completed it!  Then we packed a picnic and walked Ely to get him some exercise since we couldn't bring him.  

As if that wasn't enough for the day, we had one more place to be before meeting Nana and Papa (who took the girls so Daddy and I could attend a wedding)... my co-worker Allan invited us over to his house to watch him harvest honey from his bee hive!  We even got to wear the beekeeper hoods.  The girls asked so many questions!  Allan and his daughter Stephanie did their best to answer them all!  It was an adventure for everyone and we learned so much!  For another bonus, we got honeycombs to take home and keep for ourselves!

Today I brought Samantha to a restaurant for lunch after Sunday school and it was nice to be just us.  Sofia got to spend the whole day with Nana and Papa.  At a playground they went to, Sofia climbed to the top of the jungle gym and said, "I've been dreaming of this day!"... pretty funny according to Nana.  Meanwhile, Daddy, Samantha and I took Ely for a long stroll and all had some downtime to rest before heading to Todd and Shelly's for dinner.  The kids all had fun at the park too!

More from September

Both girls are very excited on Monday mornings because it’s school! Daddy and I love seeing them excited. They get a few extra moments of chaos since Brianna and Connor come to our house to ride the bus in the mornings, but all the kids enjoy seeing each other. The hard part has been to get them out to the bus on time because they just want to play!

Sofia especially has blossomed at her preschool so far. A lot of her friends go to the private elementary school, but when I asked her if she wanted to switch she declined. Sofia is becoming more and more articulate.

Samantha is adjusting to more demands on her to be organized. She loves seeing her friends during the day. Like most kids Samantha tends to give up effort when she’s received approval, so I push though it’s usually a gentle nudge by asking, “Is that the best you can do or is it good enough?”. I’m reassured by my messages appear to be sinking in though. Samantha is loved very much wherever she goes!

The girls and I were in a parade with their gymnastics studio.  They got to play on the float with the uneven bars while I dodged gymnasts walking.  It was a long day, but a great experience!  Thank you Papa for coming to watch! 

Samantha made Shabbat dinner herself.  She led all the cooking and didn't need too much help from Daddy and I.

We got to spend some time with Uncle Todd, Aunt Shelly, Jordan and Dylan at the zoo. It was a lot of walking, but very fun to see them!  It has been impossible to get a good picture of the kids all together!

I began the football season with a 3 ½ hour outing with the girls, looking for crafting ideas and enjoying a park.  Samantha took the picture during our "coaching session on the bar".  Did I mention that they love gymnastics?

Shana Tova! I was at a concert with a friend (which was a fun way to start the Jewish New Year), but the rest of the family had fun following the traditional meal.  Samantha also scored with her school fundraising drive!

We went to Goldzilla which is a fundraiser for RAGOM (www.ragom.org).  RAGOM is the organization we got Ely through.  There was a sea of Golden Retrievers!  It was a powerful event because everyone there loves their dogs and you could feel the positive vibe!  I can envision us getting another dog once we (the humans) are better trained!

First Day of School 2012

Sadly this is the best picture I got.  

The best part is they don't care!  Both kids were so excited for school to start!  Samantha has been talking about it for weeks and Sofia had no hesitation.  Daddy and I are very proud!

Labor Day Weekend 2012

Antie and Uncie brought Antie's sister, JoAnn to meet us here!  They stayed with us and we had plenty of adventures (and way too much food)!  I'm so grateful that JoAnn is in remission because this was my first time meeting her!  Strangely it was similar to my first time meeting Antie in that we bonded right away!

Over the weekend there was playtime at home and cuddling.

Our visitors became experts on Uno and Yahtzee during their stay.

Friday we headed to the sculpture garden to get a dose of art and culture prior to heading to Uncle Todd's house for dinner.  Isn't it interesting how Antie's circular hat contrasts with the lines of the structure behind her?

JoAnn wanted to see the house from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show".  We didn't have a hat available, so JoAnn threw her wig instead.  (It was my idea, but I didn't expect her to do it.)  Here she is singing her part.

And Samantha getting her turn catching the wig.  

Daddy cooked a wonderful meal for my birthday on Saturday, followed by ice cream cupcakes.  Thank you to everyone for celebrating with me!

Sunday we headed to Stillwater for lunch and to show them the sights.  We kept them busy wandering!

 Before Daddy took them to the airport, I managed to get the silly shot of 2 sets of sisters... Aren't they beautiful?

It was a great visit.  We miss them already!