A Magical Weekend
We truly had a weekend in a million, and I want to remember it 10 years from now, so here it is.
The weather, of course, was a huge factor. It was in the upper 60’s and 70’s and sunny all weekend. It was like living in L.A.
Friday night we had a fantastic Indian dinner at the home of our wonderful Pastor‘s house. She and her husband, and the Board President and his wife, hosted Christine and I and our families as a thank you for our work on the auction. (This auction just keeps on giving and giving. And soon I’ll be starting it all over again.) Mary Katherine had even hired a babysitter to be with our children so they would have someone to totally focus on them while Chris and I sat around and visited with the adults. It took Noa about an hour to get comfortable with Lisa, but after that Buds and I sat around the table with the other adults and laughed and told stories. The children would pop upstairs every once in awhile to get a drink or ask for help with something. It was just wonderful.
One of the things Buds and I love about our church is how amazing the other members are, and how we have found all of them to be both interesting and kind people. This night was another data point for that view.
One of many funny things that happened was Mary Katherine and John’s yellow lab, Stella, doing a Jaws attack on the piece of pizza that was sitting on the table between Buds and me. Noa had left it there when she returned downstairs, and Stella just leapt up on the table and owned that slice. Buds tried to get it back from her, but despite Stella supposedly being old, and having a bad hip, she easily evaded him. We were all crying with laughter.
Then, Saturday morning, I had a really tough Saturday workout with TNT, then we all headed over to Z and A’s to play. We hadn’t seen the Cousins for several weeks, and I especially was pining for them. Again, the weather was so lovely, and the five children play together so great. Well, actually the two boys tend to just disappear to play their battle, lego, Star Wars, imagination games together, and the girls just do whatever strikes their fancy on that visit.
At one point, we were out in the cul-de-sac, watching our children, and the neighborhood kids play. The guys were throwing a football around. I was pushing Noa in a stroller car with a cup of delicious coffee in my hand, and I realized, I was living my parenting dream! When I thought of parenting before children–this day was exactly what I envisioned! It was magical.
After we left there, the children were ssssttttaaaarrrrvvviiinnnngggg, so we went to Potbellies in Reston Town Center. The children suggested we eat by the fountain, which we did, and it was great. Then a less-than-fairy-tale-like, but still pleasant, stop at Home Depot, then home.
The afternoon brought Zoe’s first ever piano recital. She wasn’t nervous, and played her duet with Ms. Marsha perfectly. ( I hope to get a youtube video of the recital up at some point.) She sang the words while she played the song, and it was so precious. And, of course, as she walked up to the front of the room, there was that standard little whisper of “Oh, look at that hair,” “She’s so cute.” It was like a light breeze of sound blowing through the room.
After she performed, she came back to snuggle on my lap and said, “I think I was the only one who sang while I played,” which was totally accurate.
But wait! There’s more!
From the recital, we drove to Laura and Michael’s house for a CARD PARTY! Buds and I absolutely adore playing cards, and we haven’t played for so long. The children disappeared to play whatever games or dress ups they chose, and after lots of visiting, we adults settled in at whatever table best suited our personality and played Hearts. Again, much laughter with comfortable friends, great food, and a cozy home. It was the ideal wrap-up to the day.
One of the great things about our friends are their children. The big girls not only let Noa play cards with them, they worked to teach her how to play!
And Zoe loves Mia’s dress up clothes:
Then, finally, Sunday. I helped in Noa’s classroom, and the children were thrilled to finally get to use the playground again after our very snowy winter.
After church, we had lots of playtime with friends, and the wonderful, laughter-filled dinner discussed in another post.
Everything considered, I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect weekend.
