Memorial Day Weekend Catch-Up.....

Hello, everyone! I feel like it has been FOREVER since I last checked in.... Some weeks I do better than others on keeping up... Anyway....

This last week, I have really begun to notice Weiss growing up. It seemed just out of nowhere, if that makes any sense... (???) He is forming longer sentences, making more observations about the world around him, and although he was fun before, I think he is even more fun now! I am able to explain things in more detail to him because he will ask questions, or say something that has that "question" tone to it in his voice so I am able to explain something to him. It is amazing to see him retain information! How kiddos learn totally amazes me!

Weiss is also getting more of his own opinion. I love it because just this week, he started something REALLY cute. If you ask him to do _____ and he doesn't want to, he'll say, "No. Thank you, though!" I think it is absolutely adorable. He loves to talk to other people, and I love going in a store/restaurant and seeing him wave and talk to other people. It is so neat to see an older person smile or someone who might look a bit gruff smile back or say something after Weiss waves or talks. And of course, I know this is just not MY child, but kids in general. It is so cool to see how people change when a child touches their heart! I'm a proud mama!

Now that our activities have slowed down, we've been spending more time around our house and at the lake. At first, I was missing the activities, but it is really nice because we don't have to be anywhere and I am not as stressed. I am taking the time to do more spontaneous things and not follow a schedule so much. For example, if Weiss wants to read a book when I am stepping out of the shower, before I would tell him to wait. Now, I'll just sit down and read with a wet towel on my head. Ahh----the joys of not having to be anywhere at all!

However, Friday, I wanted to catch my last MOPS at CBC in San Antonio. As much as I love it and LOVE all of the people and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE CBC, I have to stop going next year. Not only is the drive a bit long now--I get up at 5:30 on MOPS mornings and haul Weiss out of bed at 6:45 (he's a good sport about it)--but I have to wean myself off of CBC. I equate it to an addict: I go to CBC, get my "hit," and have withdrawals for several days--or even weeks--afterwards. I get to where I don't enjoy the church we are attending here, and I just want to be at CBC with my old friends and everything that I was comfortable with there! (Don't get me wrong, "new" friends: you know I love you!!!)

However, I will still be listening in to Robert and Chris Emmitt on the CBC podcast, people!!! And I will still be checking in on you CBC people on Facebook and the blogs (Katie, Aimee, Denisse, Clarissa, Mandy and Bre'Anna)! And we will make the occassional trip to San Antonio to catch a service--PRAISE THE LORD for Saturday worship!!!

So Weiss and I hauled ourselves out of bed and drove in to San Antonio by 8 AM on Friday. We even got Starbucks on the way out of Marble Falls, we were so early! I hit up SuperTarget on 281 before MOPS. MOPS was great, as usual, and Amy Gilbert shared her AWESOME testimony. She is an AMAZING speaker with an amazing story, complete with miracles only God can perform! After MOPS, Weiss and I went to Marshall's, my OTHER favorite place! We hit the motherload for boy's clothes! He got some awesome clothes that would regularly cost an arm and a leg! But not at Marshall's! We drove very fast over to The Painted Plate to get a pitcher I had painted that had been there since LAST SUMMER--when we lived in San Antonio--and it was finally fired and finished. Weiss and I then did a literal "happy dance" because we went to---wait for it----CHICK-FIL-A!!!!

We ate and then Weiss played, but we had to leave the play area prematurely because a poor little girl peed in the top. Yes, folks, that's right. Weiss--thankfully--had come down to see me sitting on the bench watching him, so he was not in the play yard at the time of the, well, downpour. The little girl peed at the top of the platforms the kiddos crawl up to get to the top of the playscape and it dropped all the way to the floor (Yes, I know it's gross). And what is so bizarre is right before it happened, I was wondering, "How many kiddos have peed or puked in this thing?" However, kudos goes out to Chick-Fil-A, because they keep their play scapes clean and have Purell wipees by the door....

On Saturday, Lexy and I got up to run 6 miles.... We did it with no stops this time!!! We are slowly getting in the groove again!!!! Weiss and Logan headed out to the lake, and I stayed and did some homework. I met them out at the lake, and Justin, Ashley and Sydney White had driven in from San Angelo. They were all basking out in the sun on this GINORMOUS floatie that literally held probably up to 8 people. Dickey and Cinda (my in-laws), Logan, Weiss, Justin, Ashley, Sydney and myself all fit comfortably on the float with much room to spare! However, there was a lot of wake due to the boats, and I started getting nauseated.... (Everyone else was fine. And NO--I don't need to take a pregnancy test... I get motion sickness much easier since I have had Weiss. I used to never feel nauseated from cars or motion, but now I do...)

We ate a great meal and the kiddos played. Sydney is walking now and is super cute! And Weiss was a sweet boy and played with her. Logan and Weiss stayed out at the lake house and I went back home to do some more homework. I got up and played on Sunday, and then went straight home to do MORE homework. I finished around 6 PM.... LOTS of homework this last week. Logan, Justin, Ashley and the kiddos came to pick me up from the house on their way back from Troy and Linda Fraser's surprise anniversary party. I hated to miss, but I had to have my work done by 12 PM eastern time....

We all stayed the night out at the lake house on Sunday. Monday morning was a LAZY day.... Weiss had slept between Logan and me on the sofa bed, and he is one CRAZY sleeper... At one point, his feet were by my ears! We all had some fun in the water, and Justin, Ashley and Syd left late afternoon. Dickey, Cinda, Logan, Weiss and I then took the boat up the lake. It was Weiss's first time out this season, so he was a bit scared. Logan got out in the tube first, and Weiss told Dickey, who was driving the boat, "Be careful with Daddy, Grappa!" (He calls Dickey and Cinda "Grappa" and "Mia.") When Dickey was out skiing, Weiss said, "Be careful with Grappa, Daddy!" My father-in-law was a competitive trick skiier through college, and so he can do all kinds of crazy tricks. He has a special harness that goes on his foot so he can have the ski rope attached to his foot rather than holding it. (He skis on one ski, while the ski rope is connected to the other foot that is in the air. CRAZY!) Because of this, when he falls/lets go, someone has to immediately "pull the pin" to release the tension from the rope, because his foot is tethered in the harness. So it IS kind of nerve-wracking to watch him!

We pulled over to a sandy beach and Weiss had a blast! He played, but because the sun was beginning to go down, he had to get back in the boat. He was NOT happy about that! Logan and I have not decided where we want to go this year on our family vacation, but I am pretty positive that after Weiss's newfound love for the sand, we will be going to somewhere there is a nice beach and water!

Weiss was so tired coming back in that he fell asleep sitting up in his lifejacket in the boat. He was pooped. (It's funny how you're always so much more tired after going to the lake.... I never have really understood that!) We got home and all went to bed!!!!

Today has been a catch up/clean up day for us. Weiss and I went to the library, to Walmart and HEB. We were still both recovering from the lake today because we took a nap from 2 to 5:30!!!!! Crazy, I know....

Tomorrow, my mom (LuLu) and a friend (Becky Rynders) are coming to pickup Weiss and Zoey because Logan, Dickey, Cinda and I are going to Scottsdale, Arizona for the weekend. We leave Thursday and return Sunday. The boys have some dental stuff to do; it's a dental gathering of some sort. Cinda and I have nothing to do, so we are going to get pedicures and a massage and spend the day at the spa! And we have both picked out books to read at the pool, which is supposed to be super-luxe! I'm going to try to work out when I'm there because I'm sure the facilities will be nice! And of course, there will be good eating. So I will try to check in this weekend, but no guarantees!