Concert Time

Sissy has been a 7th grader for 2 full months now. That means it was time for her Fall band concert. It was bizarre to see the little 6th graders and to compare how much Sissy has grown since her first concert last year. 

It hurts my heart but also makes me proud to see her growth. Parenting is a tangle of a million emotions.

We can never see Sissy from the audience since the trombones are always in the back. Seems like the back row is the perfect place to put musicians with a sliding instrument. I know I'd like to be thumped in the skull by a trombone during a concert.

No matter. Even though we couldn't spot her on stage, it was a nice concert. Sissy was especially excited about the song called Scream since they would be using an Aztec Death Whistle. I agree that it was a fun song to listen to. It was creepy in a good way.

Just like Booney.

Exciting News!

We've had some exciting things happening at our place!

Mykey has a new baby. It's a robot lawnmower. His name is Lawrence Jesterton and Michael dotes on him as if it is actually alive and has feelings. Although I am impressed by Lawrence and his abilities, I'm worried Michael will spend all of his love on the robot and have none left for me. It could happen.

Hummingbirds finally came to my feeder! I squealed like a star struck teen and instantly phoned my brother to tell him the news. He was just as excited as I was. It's good to be surrounded by nerds.

I hosted a baby shower for my niece. My friend helped and it was a raging success.  I can't believe there is actually a baby in that big belly.

My middle schooler lives in squalor.

Wait. That's not exciting at all. That's actually a nuisance that makes me itchy.

My mistake.

Keeping Busy

With Sissy at school all day, Baby and I have to entertain ourselves in stimulating ways. The weather has been delightful so we've been able to venture out a bit. It's wonderful to spend uninterrupted time with my Baby.

We've been going on nature walks

And frequenting the playground

We love to dance with the skeleton DJ at Lowe's even though he is slightly unnerving to Baby

And we read all the books 

Sometimes we just stay home and play. Baby is learning valuable skills during this time. Like sharing her snacks.

Hey, the kitties were obviously hungry.

Quad Burner

It was Saturday.

We was bored.

What to do, what to do?

How about a pedal boat excursion?!

Yesss!

We discovered that a nearby park has pedal boats to rent by the hour. We had no idea! Why sit around on a Saturday when we could be burning our quads pedaling an awkwardly maneuvering boat? 

We actually had a lovely time. Baby kept trying to jump out of the boat and I kept trying not to sunburn my scalp in the burning sunshine. It was hot on the pond but we found respite a couple of times in the shade and enjoyed looking for wildlife. We saw some ducks and fish and a heron. 

By the end of the excursion, Baby had nearly jumped out of the boat at least 273 times. So we cooled our frazzled nerves and sweaty armpits with a Wendy's Frosty.

Worth it.

Happy Saturday on the pond!

Hot Air Balloons

One of Mykey's buddies from work invited us to meet up with him at a hot air balloon festival. Sounds fun! So we went. Guess what? It was fun!

When we emerged from the car, it was hotter than the tines of Satan's pitchfork outside. I was concerned we would be miserable all day. It kind of was miserable, but we eeked out a good time nonetheless. Once your entire body is soaked with sweat, you just have to surrender to the oppression. I especially enjoyed imbibing in lukewarm drinking fountain water all day since the vendors ran out of water to sell. Always refreshing. 

No matter. Just surrender.

We had a great day!

We looked at all the amazing balloons 

Sissy refused to smile nicely

Then she stood in a long line to bounce high into the atmosphere

We frolicked in bubbles

And when the sun went down, the sweating ceased and it was a pleasant evening watching the glow of the balloon fires.

We arrived home late that night exhausted from our adventures of the day.

What a magnificent way to spend a Saturday!

Ugh! School

There I was, enjoying the summertime vibes, when suddenly...POW!...it's time for school to begin again.

Poor old Michael Finnegan.

I feel sad. 

Even though I'm no longer the student, the commencement of a new school year still makes my stomach flip and flop. I don't want my baby to leave me all day. Don't make me begin again!

Nobody listened to my pleas and Sissy went off to the 7th grade. 

I'm sobbing.

After a successful first day, we celebrated with Domino's pizza and balloons. Sissy said she had a good day. Her best friend is in her homeroom class so that helps. 

Sissy is taking band again this year and she is also in Pre-Algebra because she's smart. I take credit because I growed that smart baby.

It's going to be a great 7th grade year. I can feel it.

Overnighter

Since my niece lives nearby now, I figure it's within my rights to exploit her. So I had her babysit my girls so Mykey and I could go away on an overnight trip. We haven't been alone in nearly 45 years. 

We didn't go far since we didn't have much time. We headed over the mountain to NC. We had a relaxing dinner without kids, we ate chocolate without kids, we watched a movie without kids, and we had an entire conversation without any kids interrupting.

It was divine.

Especially the chocolate.

We stayed at a little cabin in the trees that had live music outside. It was packed with people and we had to wind through the crowds with our luggage to get to our room. It was a tad awkward but everyone was incredibly friendly as we pushed by and whacked their faces with our pillows. 

We ate at a local sandwich shop in Banner Elk that was delicious with a capital Delicious. And then we went to Grandfather Mountain. What a view!

It was incredibly rejuvenating to be alone with my favorite guy but I could've used another 15 days or so.

Maybe next time.

I'm sure grateful for my generous babysitting niece!