Oh, what a weekend!

Can I say that when it’s still Saturday?! It’s been a busy one so far. After Lex’s rock star performance on Friday afternoon we had about half hour of screen time relaxation, then it was off to the ball game! The Nighthawks are in a playoff round (or something like that) and were playing their final home game. The kids loved it so much the first time we went, that we really wanted to make it to this last game too! We all agreed that next year we’d start attending ball games a little earlier in the season. :)

It was a hot afternoon, so Eve made herself a little shady spot under the blanket.

The game was pretty long. Eve and I got a little silly.

She’s so pretty. I love that girl.

Just a wee bit silly.

It was a long game, but exciting! The Nighthawks were making a lot of errors and getting crushed for awhile, but they got it together, scored two runs in the 8th to get them the lead, then shut the game down fast in the 9th. It was awesome.

Go Nighthawks!!

Between the concert and the game, I did a whole lot of cheering and clapping and smiling on Friday!!

Today we slept late (yay!) then went to Alan’s company picnic. We brought Arlo along this year and I spent most of the time keeping track of him. I was a brave mommy and let the kids swim in the pool with just the lifeguards watching them! I’d like to think it was because I was ready to let go, but really it’s just because dogs aren’t allowed in the pool area, and I remembered that they go to camp and swim with friends and have survived thus far! :) It was nice to sit at the picnic tables and actually chat with Alan and his co-workers too, instead of just following kids around all day.

The kids LOVED the new splash pad!

Can you guess what we’re doing tomorrow? NOTHING! A scheduled, cherished, no plans day!

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Rock Star!

After a rocky start to “band camp” (“this one time, at band camp…”), Lex ended being a rock star!

He had been hesitant about it all summer and we frequently discussed why I had signed him up and what would happen if he didn’t like it. He agreed to go though and give it a chance. Monday morning he was less than excited and ended up in tears. We stood in the main entry to the high school (where the camp was), got him checked in (barely) and ended up in a corner with me talking him down. Ugh. Like a kindergarten drop off all over again. One of the teachers running it, who also happens to be the middle school band director and a great guy, came over and said, “This must be Lex!” Hahaha… I think he was prepped! He and another teacher were amazing with Lex though and got him on his way. She texted me mid-morning and said that he was doing great! I love it when teachers send that little update.

Lex came home Monday and said it wasn’t the best thing ever, but he’d go back again on Tuesday. Just DON’T sign him up again next year. By Thursday he was telling me about their plans for next year, and by Friday he was rocking the house! They had a concert Friday afternoon to show off the things they learned. It was so much fun. Amazing what a group of middle school kids and a few music teachers can accomplish in five short days!

He looks so little standing up there with all the big kids! He also looks angry, but really it’s his focused face.

Lex rocking the snare drum:

Eve wore her grumpy pants to the concert and spent most of it like this. That’s what happens when you eat nothing but Goldfish all day! Eventually she managed to eat her sandwich (from lunch!) and regained her sense of humor. Thankfully!

I love his dancing! He knows this song well:

Lex did a surprise solo!! I couldn’t believe it! A bunch of kids did them and the director said they were going to make up the solos on the spot. I leaned over to Alan and made a joke about Lex never doing an solo…. but he did!!

It was fantastic! I was soo proud of him. He was rocking and rolling and dancing and he got sooooo many compliments after the show! He just looked so darn happy to be there. It was amazing!!

The grand finale. Lex is in the back. You can just barely see his leg and red sneaker to the right of the directors leg. I think he was smart to chose percussion. He has lots of room to move and dance and do his thing.

They ended the week with an ice cream social and people kept coming over to him to congratulate him and compliment his performance. Even some students did! We enjoyed our ice cream then went home and crashed!

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