Mother/Daughter Trip!

After TDC, when I went to WDW with my friend Torie, I learned there would be another podcast meet up with the same friends in September. I didn't think there way any way I could go, except then I found out they were going to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party! I have been wanting to go do that, so I checked out prices, and I figured if I went for a real quick weekend and stayed at Pop Century, a value hotel, it actually wouldn't be very expensive. I asked my family who would like to go with me. Audra and Claire didn't want to miss school and the start of homecoming festivities, Ben doesn't understand the whole podcast friends things, but Camille very slowly raised her hand.

DONE! I booked our tickets!

And so began the glorious weekend with Camille. We had the absolute BEST time! This was an absolutely unforgettable trip- and truthfully, I only wish I had done it with Claire and  Audra when they were her age. This is a trip I am certain we will both remember the rest of our lives.

On our plane ride, taking off for a trip to remember

This is Camille saying, "Come play some volleyball!"

We went to Beaches and Cream for dinner. This is the Snickers Sundae. This had been my favorite restaurant on property, but this time it was just meh. Not because of the company, I LOVED the company! But the grilled cheese and soup weren't as great as I remember. Oh, well. It was still a good time.

We had the afternoon so we took a ride on the Friendship Boat, walked around the Boardwalk, and Swan and Dolphin and just had a relaxing afternoon. In hindsight, I maybe would have bought a ticket for the parks for this day, but I didn't know that our flight, check in, Mears ride, etc. would all go perfectly and we would have so much time on our hands. But it really was a perfect trip in.

Camille fell in love with these mouse ears.

Camille was very excited to ride the  Skyliner!

We loved our room! It was so cute! I stayed at Beach Club when I went with Torie. The rooms were $600 more a night. And I would still prefer Pop. Beach Club is not worth $600 more! We loved Pop Century! We were in building 5 which was a perfect location, and next time I would just request a top floor room to keep the noise down.

                                                     

 

Ear Piercing

 I thought we were done with ear piercings, but then Audra said she wanted to wear earrings for homecoming. Her ear piercing from when she was 8 got infected and closed in so she has been earrig-less for years. But now, she is back in the game! She was much braver now than she was at age 8. Actually, that's not true- she was very brave when she was 8. It's just too bad she had to do it again- hopefully this time it doesn't get infected.

TRXC

 Claire has been having a blast with Cross Country. She's made good friends and it has been a great way for her to channel her energy. She loves being part of a team, and she does very well with it.

See if you can see her in this sea of people. This is what it's like being a cross country parent- trying to pick out your child in a sea of hundreds of kids. Thankfully, Claire has bright orange shoes and a distinguishable gait so we can sometimes find her.

The Gospels

For CFM, we have been diligently studying The New Testament. Based on a talk given in General Conference, we put up a poster with different categories of Christ's life. As we read the Gospels, we took notes on what we learned about Him and His teachings. It was pretty cool. But now the time has come to take our poster down. Let's hope we have the memories of His teachings in our hearts!

Color Run

 Camille participated in the Color Run at school! It was part of the annual Fun Run, but the 6th graders get to have color poured on them as part of the fun. It was a little rainy, but the kids did awesome!

The school raised $47,530! That's the most TBE has ever raised. When I was on the PTO WAYYYYY back when Audra was a kindergartner, we raised about $7,000 with the Fun Run. To see how far TBE has come is amazing. 

                                          

                                           

                                           

O'Fallon Park

 We had a great time with our dear friends the Leubners today. We got up early to head to O'Fallon and made it there at 8:50 and got one of the last few parking spots available. Ben had never been here and he loved it- it is a beautiful hike. The weather and company were simply perfection!

And then Camille went with Ben and me on a date to DQ and we played Castle Panic while Claire and Audra went out with friends. It was a great night.

An Ode to the Rewards of Motherhood: A True Story in One Act

 Child 1: How did you eat dinner at your meet?

Child 2: Oh, we have the best daddy. Daddy made me a delicious dinner, and he is the best Daddy ever.

Me: Dad didn't make you dinner. I did.

Child 2: .....(silence).....

The End.