Last Friday

My classroom, room 124, 4th grade is done. It's ready. I made some big changes this year and I LOVE my home-away-from-home. I'll take some pictures soon!

I rushed to get it done on Thursday because I wanted today (friday) to be just me and my girls.

No phone. No emails. No laundry. No lists. Just them.

I didn't want today to end. It's the last weekend of our summer break before back-to-school. And today {friday} was perfect.

I asked the girls what they wanted to do with me today - it was just the 3 of us - our last just the 3 of us this summer.

I said it could be big like a train to Manhattan {NYC} or small. I knew what they'd pick.

Small.

So we got up. Had breakfast. Changed some sheets. Did some laundry. Made daddy a birthday cake. Got dinner in the crockpot. Went out to flatbread pizza (they make one Abigail can eat). Shopped here and there at the outside shops (I don't do the mall). Stopped at a creaky floor (our favorite) toy store. Looked around there for like an hour. Stopped at homegoods and got a few things for the fall porch swing to cozy it up. Came home and sat on the couch together and watched a Hallmark Christmas movie. Scott came home and we surprised him with his birthday dinner and birthday cake and birthday presents. (his birthday is the second day of school next week so we just don't do that). We cleaned up dinner together and the girls are already asleep.

They kept thanking me for today. I smiled because I loved every minute of my whole day with my girls.



It was perfect and I love being with them.

Today I want to remember:
1. How happy and excited they were to help me with daddy's birthday. When the first frosting recipe just didn't work - how we had to rush and rush to start from scratch and how Abigail was so serious and so helpful - how they both were - how we got the cake done just in time - how we stood there at the door and said "Happy Birthday Daddy" when he walked in.
2. How relaxed and happy we were on our special day today - especially at the toy store. Just the feeling of being in there with them - I just want to remember that.
3. Sitting outside on the porch at night - after dinner, after the cake - with the table still filled with empty dishes - the humidity had cleared and it was perfect weather. How good it felt to be out there this summer and that night.