InstaFriday

Visiting Imagination Station Saturday morning. 

On our day off together (Friday), we had intentions of going to play tennis for awhile before our lunch and movie, but the weather looked a little too iffy.  So on Saturday evening, Wes came over to watch the kids (love the babysitting trade-offs!) while Craig and I hit the courts in downtown G-town for a little one-on-one.  Let me just say this:  I got schooled.  Craig apparently used to play just for fun with some friends in high school.  I have played exactly NEVER.  I understand the rules (I think) and the scoring (so weird) now, but there was a lot of swearing on my part as I attempted to develop some actual skill.  I need lots more practice...

But my racket is PINK!!  So that's gonna' carry me in coolness until I learn.  Right?

We followed up our tennis match (ha! we never actually finished the "match") with a bit of shopping and dinner at Five Guys.  A fun night!!

Sunday morning, the kids and I met up with my old coworker, Megan, and her daughter, Grace, at the zoo!  Haven't seen Megan since our visit to the Henry Ford Museum last Christmas and I MISS HER!!!!  Grace is getting so big and it was really great to catch up with them.

Soph in the polar bear den. 

Will, Sophie and Grace in front of the hippos. 

I took Monday and Tuesday off this week as well.  On Monday, the kids were home with me for a really nice, relaxed day.  we had plans of going to the dairy farm we visited last fall, but again, the afternoon rain cancelled that for us.  In the morning however, we managed a bike ride, some "camping" and a visit to the library.  :) 

Monday evening was karate as usual.  We thought Will would be testing for his next belt this night (turns out it was actually the next Monday) so we all came along to watch.  Julie was out training a new horse during class time (the karate school building is right on her family's farm) and Sophie LOVES to go see Julie's horses whenever they're outside.  She fed the horse a bit of grass and clover just before this picture and then we told her the horse had to practice some more before he got any more "treats", so she held the next bunch behind her back.  Haha.  :)

Tuesday was my final day off and I had it all to myself.  Craig was working and the kids went to the sitters.  I'm not sure there are many actual vacation destinations that I would trade for the simple bliss of my own, quiet house when I have it all to myself.  There was literally THE BEST BREEZE EVER flowing through all the open windows and I got so much accomplished!!  Brutus and I relaxed with breakfast on the front porch to start off the day. 

I spent about two hours sorting through roughly 900 photos that I'd ordered last year from Snapfish.  [Hides face in shame.]  They covered April-September 2011... so now I'm only ONE year behind!  Ha.  They're ready to go into albums now and I'm just waiting for the girls from work to organize a scrapbooking night with snacks and wine so that I can join them for "normal-people-photo-albuming", as I like to call it.  Scrapbooking is of ZERO interest to me.  I can barely keep up with albums and they don't even require all the effort and expense that scrapbooking entails!  Contemplating saying "screw it" to printing any more pictures from now on though.

So after my photo organizing, I turned on my book on CD (currently listening to Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult) and got to work in the kitchen making a bunch of things for the freezer to aid in school lunch packing pretty soon.  Did a bit of cleaning and prepped dinner and that was my day!  It was back to work on Wednesday.

Lately I am simultaneously reading two books at all times - one actual book and one on CD - and this is my current hold-in-my-hands book.  It just came out this spring and I moved it from my wishlist to my cart on Amazon ASAP.  I ADORE it.  I have adored Jenny's blog for years now and the whole philosophy of this book is just everything I want to express in my love for family meals.  Plus it's so pretty and perfect-sized and I can easily be sold on owning a book just for those two reasons.  :)  It reads like a memoir with recipes dotted throughout and I just love reading books like this. 

I had preschool orientation for Sophie this week and had a moment of shock as I wrote her first and last name at the top of some of the paperwork we had to fill out.  You know when you name your child, you think about first and middle names that flow well with the last.  And then throughout their infancy and toddlerhood, they're referred to by their first name and any nicknames that they inherit.  And I know I've written "Sophia Riedeman" together before (baby book, doctor's and dentist office paperwork, etc.)... but for some reason seeing her name at the top of those preschool forms made me just stop and think "holy cow, this baby of mine is growing up and going to be her own little person!"  Sound ridiculous, I know.  But it just made me picture years of teacher's class lists that said "Sophie Riedeman" and her writing her name at the top of homework assignments and being announced over the loudspeaker at sporting events... and I just felt floored for a minute that our daughter was growing up so quickly.  Sigh.

For now, though, our babies are content with sidewalk chalk in the driveway and our own family as the biggest part of their world.  Savoring that thought for as long they'll let me...