Monday, October 19

Recap full of gratitude

Maybe the best way to start off a Monday would be in reflection. This weekend, as I announced on Facebook, was crazy-full of activities, and as it turned out, a record-breaking COLD one. So while my face is now raw from the wind, my heart, I guess, is softened and happy...? or something?

Thursday evening I took AJ to the school's monthly skating party. THAT was a flashback in time! My school did the same thing when I was in 7th grade. So funny. He had a blast, and I chatted with some other moms, who were nice. (BFF wasn't there, so I had to make do. Heh.) At our school they pair up each Kindergartener with a "Fourth Grade Buddy." It's a rather big deal -- they sit with each other during weekly Masses -- and so I was impressed when Kyle, AJ's buddy, came and introduced his mom to me. And she couldn't have been sweeter. This school makes me get teary every other day, I swear. It's such a community. During the dance contest, when all the kids were out on the skating rink in their sock feet, doing the Macarena, and little AJ was running/sliding/whirling/shaking and generally having the time of his life, I said to myself, "Is there anything better than a moment like this? Watching 100 kids laugh and dance?" There's really not.

Work sponsored a bike race on Saturday, and the best part about it was stopping at Panera Bread afterwards and having corn chowder in a sourdough bowl. (Man, those sourdough bowls -- a treat very rarely allowed! MMM CARBY CARB GOODNESSMRFHMMMM.) We were cold since we started at 7:00 am; the race wasn't as organized as it could have been, it eventually started to rain, and... just.. that soup was awesome. I did enjoy volunteering at an aid station, it's too bad about the weather.

Later, daycare had its annual Fall Festival. It's always funny for the little ones to see their teachers all dressed up in costume. KT was so confused. She thought, too, that the best part of the day was warm liquid fortification in the form of hot chocolate. She tried the moon-walk jumpy thing, giggled once, fell down, and promptly wanted out. I don't blame her.

We went from there to our friends' home for their annual Pumpkin Carving party and bonfire, where AJ and his daddy were awarded the Grand Prize for best jack-o-lantern. The hostess told me later it was because she asked AJ how he came up with the design and he answered, "I used my brain." HAAAA! Little smart-ass! Though I don't think he intended to sound like one, he was just being honest.

He's given me lots of opportunities over the last few days to be impatient, and I, unfortunately, have delivered. FIVE IS HARD. This morning I uttered a classic Mom phrase: "That child is going to kill me... or else I'm going to kill HIM."

So patience is what I prayed for during Mass yesterday. And I was glad to report that we made it to Mass. Bundled up, and everything. The choir is sounding better, I think, with their new director, and I'm still not ready to rejoin them despite lots of waffling about it.

(Oh, speaking of waffles, I hope I won the Breakfast Basket from the Fall Festival's silent auction -- it had a waffle maker in it.)

Anyway, patience. And gratitude.

4 comments:

nicole said...

I hope you won too. A waffle maker is greatness. We have breakfast for dinner once a month or so and I make a ton of waffles to freeze for breakfasts. A box of Bisquick from Costco is five bucks or so, and I can usually get 10-12 dozen waffles out of a box, so way cheaper than at the store.

Anonymous said...

Cookie! Oh dear, never pray for patience, for you will be showered with opportunities to practice! (Instead, I try to pray for one day's measure of grace and strength, for whatever comes.)

Mandy said...

sounds like a great weekend!!

collins school does that too, with the older kids .... they have have "Prayer Partners" who are 6th graders .. Collin has two for some reason, havent met them yet though:)

Lee said...

I won the waffle maker! Woo! Belgian, no less.