Stress and release

This week has been an emotional rollercoaster. I spent a significant amount of time in tears - between sadness for what one of my close friends is going through and turmoil from something I've been struggling with personally. So, I definitely needed some time to relax and heal and breathe. And, I got it!

On Saturday morning, we met friends at nearby Castle Island. It was an absolutely beautiful day - sunny but cool and dry. We walked with the kids way out on the jetty, watching boats and diving birds and the sun sparkling on the water, then we stopped for a snack before walking back and letting the kids have some fun on the playground. When our friends had to head home, we hung out, ate our picnic lunch, and explored some of the huge Revolutionary War fort that is the focal point of the island.

In the evening, we had a great dinner under the stars on our patio. A grilled steak wrapped in bacon, corn on the cob, and beans. Then we let R experience toasting marshmallows over the fire to make more s'mores. It was wonderful.

On Sunday morning, we woke up late (woohoo!), had homemade blueberry pancakes for breakfast, then met one of R's classmates and his mom and dad at a nearby park. R and his friend were CRAZY. They had so much fun, but we had to step in a few times to keep them from monopolizing the playground with their boy-ness (including spitting, yelling, and wrestling). I almost didn't recognize my normally sweet son! He wasn't being mean or anything like that, but when he gets together with other boys, they seem to feed off of each other's questionable behavior until it gets almost to a frenzy level. It's hard to strike a balance sometimes between letting R have the freedom to be a boy and explore, run, and be crazy and reigning him in so that he's a considerate member of society.

Anyway, it was another beautiful day, and we had a great time. In the afternoon, we played in the yard and got ready for dinner because our friends Art & Alicia were coming over. A grilled a chicken, country-style ribs, and corn on the cob. I made baked macaroni & cheese, plus we had watermelon and s'mores for dessert. Everything was delicious. Except for our toilet overflowing unnoticed for an hour and flooding down our basement stairs, it was a perfect evening. :-)

These two days were just what I needed.

Happy Labor Day!