random stuff on my mind

Lucas will be 12 years old on Thursday!  wow.
We had an early celebration tonight at a local Mexican restaurant... simply because a mariachi band was scheduled to play.
Lucas loves this particular restaurant... and we go ALL of the time.  It was extra special tonight as we shared a meal with our family and Lucas was serenaded by the band.
Cake and ice cream followed at our house.
This should totally have been a Friday.

This week, after having several groups of people back in my house, I realize how much I enjoy having company.    It often feels like I have a rotating door.    And the 'extra' chairs that we bring up from the basement never seem to make it back downstairs.   We go through spurts of time when those chairs are filled for several days.    And then they linger in the kitchen until the next people arrive.

I think I took the summer off from hosting much... because the chairs were left in the basement for quite a while.   But now they are back.
I am thrilled to be hosting our LifeGroup again this fall.    And I hope that I can revive my Sunday night crew as well.
 I look forward to getting my peeps together.  
Even though I love my summer sleep schedule, the truth is that I thrive on routine.   Our 'school' routine work for us.  As well as the regular scheduled meetings, etc.  

My preschool class is beyond amazing this year.    I have enjoyed every minute.
Ask me about my job sometime :)

I'm looking forward to the arrival of fall.   And pumpkins.  And Halloween.

mother's day

Seriously.  Please tell me that I'm not the only person on the planet that had a rough Mother's Day.
A quick glance at Facebook and it appears that everyone was spewing love and roses... enjoying lovely afternoons with their perfect, thoughtful, children...while reminiscing about their births, and taking gorgeous family photos.

My mother's day consisted of my children bumming money off of their grandmother to buy candy... for themselves.    
Not one of my own children wished me a happy mother's day.
Parts of my day made me flustered and sweaty.   In other moments, my kids ignored me, disobeyed me... and disrespected our friends.
I... or my son... broke my phone.  

Happy Mother's Day.

It's not that I expected anything different on this particular day.  But I think way down, deep inside of me, I kinda hoped that today would be a fun filled family day.   Kinda like the ones depicted on Facebook.
(and I realize that I hate to look at Facebook on holidays... because pretty much everyone ticks me off)

With that off of my chest, I have to admit that there were good parts of the day.
Singing at church.
Singing in my car.
Sharing a meal with my mother.
Having a campfire (thanks Lyn).
Hanging with my single mom friends.  
Enjoying the company of my Sunday night crew.
Watching a funny movie.

My friends are my life savers.  They let me vent, they encourage me, and they love my little family in spite of our dysfunction.     I am thankful for my friends who have made me, and my boys, a priority.   These folks are helping to keep me afloat.

At the end of the day... even today... I am immensely thankful.

p.s.  My kids went to bed happy.  And tomorrow is always a new day :)