Night Out. Whaaaaat???

Hubby and I had a date night out when our friend, Mel, had a birthday.
A night out.
Woohoooo!

First we went to dinner----somewhere.
I forget where.
It wasn't any place I'd ever been...
Oh, but it had valet. How I often miss valet living in suburbia. It's just a truth. I accept this about myself. I love valet parking. Parking my car is not hard, per se, but to just valet is so much easier..... I think every grocery store should have valet. And while they've got my car they should gas it up and wash it... I'm just sayin'.....

Back to the topic: we went out.

Went to "The Rustic." I'd never been there either. It's like being in a Texas backyard. Heels were a mistake---but then again, I didn't know that as I got dressed. Live music, picnic tables, big trees, and overhead stringed lights....it was laid back fun.
:)

2nd Day of School, 2014. BIG Day.

BIG day.
Huge.
Bigger than the first day of school.

Why?
Because Gage got to ride his bike to school.
This is huge to me for so many reasons.

He's waited to ride his bike to school.
He knows the way.
He's worked on bike safety.
Helmet is a must.
He must walk his bike through the cross walk.
Watch for cars.
Look both ways.

Oh My Goodness---my baby's riding his bike to school!

So, he rode with two of his buddies. Others have asked me, "Did you follow him to school!?" No, I did not. Why? Because the other mom did so I was off the hook! Yaaaaaay! Not that I didn't want to---it's just that Gage did not want me to, and I was wracking my brain about how I could creep along without being noticed. Wanting to give him that independence, but not really. Well, the other mother rode along and sent me a text that all went well.

I had peace that day knowing that he got to school safely because I got the text. But, I started worrying about the next morning. When Allen was killed, he was riding his bike to school. I cannot forget that. It's a detail that just IS....and it's a part of me now. Although Gage's school is at the end of our street, I still worry. I worried that he would leave my home, not have any photo ID, if something were to happen to him between my house and the school, I wouldn't know until I got the phone call from the school that he'd missed the 2nd attendance check. That give a bad guy like a 2 hour head start! That's not comforting! That's freakin' scary!
....and then I check myself.

I can educate my child about bike safety.
I can require that my child wear a helmet, and explain why it's so important.
I can educate my child about stranger danger.
I can have my child travel in a group. Safety in numbers!

I will not let my worries and fears stop my child from developing a healthy level of independence and responsibility. I will do everything within my power to protect my child, but allow him room to grow and experience some of the freedoms his peers are afforded. While the ripple effect of Allen's death affects us, and is a part of us, I cannot let it prevent my child(ren) from moving forward.

Day 2 of school was a BIG deal at this house.

As school dismissal time approached---Eliette and I waited in the front yard until we saw him. It was the best thing we saw all day!

You know I hugged that child and didn't want to let go. No shame in my game.

3rd Grade.

Every year, Gage's school posts the class assignments on the Friday afternoon before school starts. It's an event that Gage does NOT want to miss. He's always excited to find out which friends will be in his class, and it's just a fun, exciting day....

A first: getting to PICK where he sat. That's right. Big deal to this kiddo. So, he sat in a specific seat and waited....and waited....and waited to save the seat next to him for his buddy, C. We already saw the list of students in the class, and Gage was thrilled to see his buddy's name on the list. Finally, his teacher gave Gage permission to claim the seat for C, and explained that if C wanted to sit elsewhere, he could.... Yaaaay!

So, what else happened on the Friday before school would start? The end of the year pool party hosted by some kiddos that Gage used to go to school with. {new school = redirection of some of the students, but Gage still has friends at his old school...he's an equal opportunity party goer. :) }

Now what do the "fun moms" do at the back-to-school-pool-party?? Cannon-Ball, of course!

Our boys were very surprised and we had fun with that.

 Before we knew it, Monday morning came! First day of 3rd grade....

Pictured above with the school's name-sake on the first day of classes. She's there to welcome students, and she's just as nice as she can be! She also attends our church and lives nearby. Gage thinks she's a bit of a celebrity.

 Gage's buddy, C, was there and super excited to sit next to Gage.

 Mommy and her big 3rd grader!

"Okay, you can leave now, Mom."

Okay.....
So now what???
It was a LONG day for Eliette without her brother!

On the first day of school, we drove Brother, and picked him up. Eliette was all over him. She laid on his backpack...she tried on his shoes. She just wanted to be WITH HIM all afternoon and evening. She didn't even want him to shower without her!

Other things to note about this 3rd grader: he came home and informed me that he needed some Axe body wash and "some of that stuff that goes under your arms." Whaaaaat? You don't even know what it's called, but you need it!?!?

Oh....to be 8 years old again....

Big Brother, Little Sister

These two... Oh, Gage has just become the BEST big brother (most of the time!), and Eliette delights in his attention. I am so lucky. So blessed.

And this, folks, is Eliette's first time to go down a slide (if my memory is correct):

 She clearly needed to do it again.

 ....and again....

 Where her brother leads, she will follow.

 In the end---this one was TUCKERED out. So tired that she even napped solo in her crib. Now THAT's TIRED!

(this post?? Oh, it's only about 10 weeks over due....)

Gage & Mommy Day, 2014

As Summer was winding down, Mommy started to feel the tug of wanting some one-on-one time with Gage before he headed back to school.

We had a day, I tell ya! Left the house with a general plan, but it was certainly subject to change along the way.....

As we headed out, we ran to Bahama Bucks for a shaved ice. To note, this would be trip #1 to Bahama Bucks for the day... As you can already tell, this would turn out to be quite the perky day for Gage. :)

Stop #2: Dallas Arboretum. We used to live by the Arboretum, and he loves it there. Recently, he went on a school field trip, and it was his first time to experience the new children's area. Well, that was kind of a rushed trip through there at the end of our field trip, and I promised to take him back when he could go through the whole area at his own pace. So---we did. He loved it. 

What next? Lunch, of course!

And then what happened?
Well, we were headed to our next location, & I told Gage, "Mommy and Daddy used to live over here, and we met over there, and that's where Mommy lived when I met Daddy...." He wanted to see all of the places, and we were right near there, so---we drove around and I showed him all the different places.It was so cute that he was even interested. Sweet boy! {Oh, sweet Gage, that's the beginning of your story....and I love that you care about it!}
Gage, just outside of our first loft.
(I often miss urban living...)

After that, we headed to the Dallas World Aquarium. Yaaaaay!

This child truly loves aquariums. Always has. Shark week on tv? He's all over it. And yet, when given the opportunity to snorkel in the Bahamas (even in a controlled environment at the Atlantis), he was just a bit too cautious for that! He gets that from me. I call it a healthy respect for the ocean and marine life. Don't care to swim with sharks? I don't blame you!

When we left the aquarium, we headed home....and of course, had to run through Bahama Bucks A-GAIN....

Here Gage is posing with his cup from his first shaved ice (blue bubblegum) and his second shaved ice (I think it was strawberry).

It was a GREAT day.
I was glad to get home because this mama was TIRED----but it was wonderful to spend uninterrupted time with our son. Loved it. Hope this becomes a back-to-school tradition!