What A Weekend!

I resisted the urge to blog about our fun weekend this morning and spent some good quality time snuggling and playing with my little boys and then reconnecting with my bathroom cleaning bucket and my mop. A clean house really does feel good, but I was itching to blog about the weekend all day. 

We enjoyed a fun family outing Friday night at Texas Stadium in Irving.  Amanda's high school football team was playing a rival school and we decided to support the home team.  Mason was so cute to clap when everyone else did and was very aware that a football game was going on down on the field. I don't think my high school ever gathered much of a crowd for football games quite like they do here in Texas.  It's kind of big deal. Jacob has really turned into our sports fanatic and especially enjoyed being in the same stadium where the Cowboys play.  It was a late night, but the kids were great - thanks to the load of sugar* I brought in.   

 *(Quick side-note from Tuesday: As I threw away the parking pass from the van today I realized it said "No Outside Food or Drink in Stadium".... OK... So why did the guy checking my bag at the gate not realize I had bottles of water and super-sized bags of peanut M&Ms, Skittles and Red Vines? He didn't even ask what I was packing in my cute South African bag. What was he really checking for? In my defense Amanda told me that last year they let her bring in candy and water, but not soda, so I wasn't trying to be deceptive.)

It's always hard to have to set an alarm on a Saturday morning. I almost didn't set one Friday night, but was worried that Amanda would sleep in and miss the bus to the all-region choir auditions Saturday morning.  Let's just say it was a good thing I was the first to hear an alarm. After a quick drive through Chick-Fil-A we got where we needed to just in time.  We're so proud of our Amanda for being one of only two freshman from her school chosen for the all-region choir!  She worked so hard on learning her music and has such a naturally beautiful voice.

The rest of us enjoyed a more leisurely morning with donuts from Mr. Chong's Donut Place. Erik got some yard work done and I was happy to finally get in Ryan and Jacob's room with them and get it cleaned up. It feels so invigorating to sort clothes and toys and I threw out a huge black garbage bag of junk that I'm sure they'll never miss.  They both did such a good job helping sort piles and getting things back in order. We tackled Shawn and Mason's room next, but with them home together today it doesn't look much different than it did before our cleaning on Saturday. At least the floor under the toys has been vacuumed. It's a never-ending process.

Amanda had a short break between choir auditions and her first dance at church Saturday night. She was excited about having a new outfit. Erik took her shopping last weekend and she picked out new shirts and jewelry.  She later realized she didn't have the right pants to wear so I bravely went and shopped for some without her on Friday.  Not an easy task to decide on clothes for a fourteen-year-old without her there.  She wasn't so fond of one pair I brought home, but loved the others.  Whew.  I think she's looking a little too grown up here.

Erik and I left for Fort Worth around 5:00 and enjoyed a leisurely yummy dinner at P.F. Chang's before meeting up with our friends Deena and Christian for the Michael Buble Concert. To say it was AMAZING doesn't seem to do it justice. I had very high expectations for this event and I was definitely no disappointed. Michael is such a great entertainer and his voice is absolutely fabulous live.  His CDs don't do him justice. He really knows how to work the crowd and his band was so talented. They performed for almost two hours and I loved every minute of it. I can't believe I thought of such a great birthday present for Erik this year : )!  We had a great time and our seats were incredible.  The one picture Erik took with the camera on his phone wasn't great, but I didn't want to stress about having a camera with us at the concert. The nice little stock photo below will just have to do. We finished the night with a quick stop for Erik's favorite treat - an M&M Blizzard at the DQ. It was a GREAT date!

Sunday night Erik and I were able to attend a fireside with Brother Charles Dahlquist, the Young Men General President.  He spoke to parents of boys ages 8 - 18 in our stake and gave such wonderful counsel about doing things in our families to help raise a righteous generation of young men who have their focus on the temple. I left feeling so committed to doing all I can as a mother.  And I know I can do better. One bit of advice he gave that I really appreciated is "Don't be afraid to offend your children when you know what is right - hold the line." How true, how true. Parenting definitely isn't a popularity contest.  It was a wonderfully inspiring ending to our great weekend.