This Weekend

Emily really got a chance to spread her wings this weekend. I'm getting better at accepting that she's a bigger kid now, not a pre-schooler that always needs her Mommy.

Friday night was early to bed because we all had to get up early and head to Joliet (90 mins away) for a church talent competition. I woke Emily at 6:35 and she bellyached and moaned for 5 mins straight about having to get up sooooooo early. I reminded her that she NORMALLY wakes up at 6:47 (on the dot!) and this wasn't so early. NO convincing her. I got her loaded up and to the church at 7am, where she caravaned down with the older girls in another parent's van. She thought it was cool to be going without Mommy, but it was tough on me to let her go all that way by herself! But it had to happen..

Jeff and I (and May) arrived in Joliet at 10:15, just in time to watch Emily race her Pinewood Derby car. It was initially disqualified for being overweight, but a nice man had his tools and performed some emergency surgery on her car. It was 3x elimination, and she took 4th place. She was pretty happy about that. Her drawing and her story did well, too. Her big highlight was the medal she recieved for participating.

We made it home around 2p and Colleen called, inviting us for dinner. We hit baseball practice and then walked over to Colleen's. Emily had left a few minutes before, with a crowd of kids who'd stopped by our place looking for Em and wanting to jump. At Colleen's, Lisa and her family were there, plus us, plus some other, older kids. After dinner, the kids took off outside and disappeared. We knew they were at one of 3 houses that were right next to each other, or running around the cul-de-sac, so it was nice to let them run free and not be tied down by parents. They flitted in and out of open houses, playing here, running there, doing all sorts of spontaneous stuff.

Half the adults sat on Colleen's back porch and watched the race, the other half, plus some more neighbors, sat in Lisa's driveway around a fire pit. The kids ran between the 3 houses and had fun doing their own thing. Emily really enjoyed being able to be with the crowd and not have to ask permission to go everywhere. They played tag, Ghost in the Graveyard, had tree climbing contests, treasure hunts, you name it.

We made it home around 10p, the kids barely stayed awake for the 600 steps it took us to walk back to the house. Church early the next morning, and then we were planning on going to lunch. Emily did NOT like our choice of food and didn't want to go. Before we left the house, Lisa called telling us to take some of the truckload of mulch she'd bought. So we went over there, her son found out where we were going for lunch, and wanted to go. So Emily stayed there, he came with us, and off we went. Maicy had a MEGA tantrum and we had to eat in shifts while the other parent sat with her in the van. MEGA tantrum!

Back at home, we dropped of the kids, Maicy took a nap, I cleaned house, Jeff shoveled mulch, and who knows where Emily was. She was with Colleen and Lisa's kids, out spreading her wings. Good thing they all live next door to each other, plus a few other families who have kids and an open door policy. I went to get her around 3p, and when I got there, she and a crowd of kids were headed over to my house to jump. Even better ! I sat on Colleen's back porch and had a couple of drinks. Very nice and relaxing. Emily and the crowd showed back up, and I found out she's been in sprinklers and at the neighbor's hot tub. Busy girl! Lots of independence going on. I had to head out for work, but she didn't want to leave so I left empty handed and she stayed to play some more. Jeff went and got her later and ended up having dinner there with Colleen, Lisa, spouses, and kids.

Such a busy weekend!! But so much fun and it's nice to see Emily get practice being a "big girl".