This was an interesting Labor Day weekend for a number of reasons but here are my highlights:
Green Out in honor of Bodee at the varsity football game. I loved that everyone from elementary age kids to grandparents were rocking the green and sending love to the Peterson’s. We saw lots of green mo-hawks, Bodee style, and some high school girls who took the opportunity to paint themselves green and wear very little clothing. Another incredible show of support for a grieving but strong family.
Trying to sleep during the loudest storm I’ve ever heard while being systematically pushed off of my bed by a 3-year-old and six-year-old who were terrified of the thunder. One grinds his teeth, the other likes to be suction cupped to Mommy and they both have restless legs. Awesome!
I planned to make monkey bread Saturday morning so we could munch on it all weekend but the power had gone out during the storm. Instead, we went and got 4 additional kids and tried to play board games with the little bit of sunshine peeking through the windows. Lunch was Casey’s pizza and Gatorade so I didn’t have to open the fridge. You’ve never seen kids happier to turn on a bathroom light!
Saturday Night Fights! The boys were supposed to be helping Bridget clean up her room but all they really accomplished was a pissed off sister and a lost tooth as they rough housed and ordered her around. Sam bucked Drew off his back, his face hit Bridget’s bed, and blood came pouring out of his mouth. I’ll admit it, I panicked a little and told Sam to call Dad and tell him to come home right now while I tried to find the source of the bleeding. By the time he got home, after questioning Sam relentlessly on the phone, I had the bleeding stopped and Drew almost calmed down. Sam found the errant tooth, a very long vampire-esque fang, which calmed everyone down a bit. A trip to Moo Roo for a banana shake made it feel much better. He did, however, cry on Sunday morning because, “I just kind of want my tooth back in.” Oh, Drew, you sweet little thing.
Sunday was a virtually perfect day: finally made monkey bread, watched some more of the Star Wars marathon, and Daddy was home most of the day. I had asked him to bring the farm truck home to haul the branches out of the yard but he decided to go a step further and climb the trees with a saw. He literally filled our yard with additional branches, front and back. Those of you who know him, please strap yourselves in before reading the next sentence….he cleaned up his entire mess on the day he made it. The ladder and saw were put away, every branch hauled out to the farm, and he didn’t break any bones.
Fantastic grill out with friends; only a few minor grill fires and no children injured on Fort Danger equals a win. In the past, I have 
burned up kabob skewers, had children fall on the way down the fire pole, and been unable to stop Blair from spraying some ineffective and stinky mosquito fog. Sunday night was fairly uneventful, in a good way, plus I’m still eating Sue’s corn dip/salsa and it is amazing!
Monday was another perfect weather day, just enough of a chill in the air to make it gorgeous and autumnal and beautiful and yay. I suggested a bike ride on the trail and, after a lot of whining, was convinced to put Bridget on the seat behind me and ride to the trail rather than drive to the trail with the kids bikes shoved in the van. This was a mistake. I pumped up the tires on my $30 Walmart special bike, got Bridget safely in her seat, and we took off down the hill. By the time we got to the bottom, my quads were burning. Yep, a half block downhill….turns out that my back tire was already flat and my gears were frozen in the most difficult position. I even had some firefighters try to save the day, to no avail. I then tried to find a shortcut to the trail and instead encountered a water-filled ditch and marshy grass. I threw in the towel, convinced the boys that we needed to just head home before Mom’s legs fell off, struggled all the way back and took a nap.
Monday afternoon was saved by another bike ride, although I let Bridget ride her own bike this time, and an hour spent watching Sam’s football practice. There is something so joyous in sitting in the sun, with a slight chill in the air, listening to the sounds of football pads smacking together. Well, in the case of 3rd and 4th graders, it is more like listening to the sounds of their football pads hitting the ground as they trip while running after the ball they failed to catch. Sam is having the best time at football practice and grins throughout. He came home last night and said, “Mom, now I know I can tackle most of the 4th graders!”
And today my husband proved that he still loves me and sometimes listens! He asked if I had time to go look at trim for our house. I checked my schedule (ha!) and told him that Bridget and I had an opening around lunch. He bought enough trim to go at least around the front door, the area I told him last week almost made me cry more than once a day. God love him. We then also bought a dining room table and some greenery for the front of the house. If we’re not careful, I will have very little to complain about….
The younger boys getting ready for football in a couple of years!Bridget will be ready as well!
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