This week

Our sweet friends from Paris came to visit her mother in Collierville.  Thankfully, she and the boys and the sweet Baby G were able to visit with us.  We went to Shelby Farms to play and then we grabbed dinner at pizza buffet.  

Friday while the big boys were at school we visited a Pumpkin Farm.  The boys got to go on a hayride, a train ride, pick a pumpkin, play on bouncers, toss a football and more.  It was so fun!  

Now, for my parenting fail of the week...I mean day.  Jack had this thing at his school called a Ram Run.  (They are the Oak Rams.)  He collected donations...which means I wrote a check...and then they completed this "run".  I had it on my calendar.  I informed Fred that we needed to be there.  I had the time of the run down for 9:40-10:20.  In actuality, it was from 9:10-9:40.  We got to the school at 9:37.  Fail on my part.  Whoops.  I did capture this sweet picture the one time he ran past me.  

 After school on Friday the boys left for RA Camporee with our church.  (a.k.a a weekend for mom to be by herself!!)  They had the best time.  They camped out, got dirty, competed in outdoor activities, got dirty, played and got dirty a little more.  Andrew even got to go.  At one point Fred called me to tell me all was well and he said, "hang on, I need to call you right back".  When he called me back I asked what was going on and he calmly said, "Oh, it was just Andrew's turn to throw the hatchet."  What??  My baby was throwing a hatchet and no one was concerned?!?  Goodness.  Only 359 days until the next RA Camporee, but who's counting?!?  This mom!

When everyone left me Friday this house was so quiet.  Eerily quiet.  The phone rang and broke the silence.  It was Fred.  He didn't say hello.  He just said, "Everyone is okay."  My heart sank and I almost dropped to my knees.  He went on to tell me that they had had a wreck.  From what he can remember a car suddenly stopped in front of him.  He tried to swerve to miss them and then he started spinning.  He must have hit a concrete bunker or a guard rail.  When the car finished spinning he came to rest on the down ramp facing on coming traffic.  My heart skips a beat every time I think about it.  The fact that no one hit them when they were spinning or on the ramp facing on coming traffic is nothing short of a  miracle.  They were in Jackson, which was about an hour away.  My parents were here.  Fred assured me they were all okay and were even going to continue on to Camporee (in my parent's car).  I needed to put my eyes on them, but there was no way I could get to Jackson before they needed to leave.  Aunt Janice to the rescue (for the 1 millionth time)!!  She quickly drove over to check on them and sent me this picture.

I knew they were okay.  She was an angel to check on my crew.  She helped them get my parent's car and then move all the camping gear.  And they were off.  We are still waiting to hear from our car, but who cares.  It's just a car.  My crew is okay and we are still praising His name for His protection.

 Andrew was asleep when it all happened.  Clayton saw it coming and reached out to hold him in his seat.  Be still my heart.  They do love each other.

While the boys were away Dash the dog kept running out of our fence and terrorizing our neighbors.  I got tired of chasing him down.  So, my friend and I went to Pet Smart and bought a dog run.  He really seemed to enjoy it

 until I went in the backyard to get the lawnmower.  Then the silly dog went wild.  (I now refer to him as a silly dog b/c my mother told me it was not appropriate to call him dummy.)  I was in the front yard and that silly dog came running after me.  So happy and feeling accomplished.  I was unsure how this could have happened until I walked around to the back yard.  Somehow that silly dog got off the dog run by getting out of his harness.  Silly dog...for lack of a better word.

Sunday our sweet friends came to church with us.  It was the icing on the cake for me!  

Then my parents, their friends, Fred and Renee and the above pictured people came to our house for lunch.  It was such a blessing!

You have friends in your life that are just friends.  Then there are a few friends that you consider family.  That is the case with this crew.  Monday morning was so lonely.  I kept thinking she would call for us to do some fun activity together.  Alas, their fall break was over and school was back in session.  Boo.

After church Andrew wanted to ride with our friend that's a little older than him.  He was being pretty ugly.  Fred took him aside and told him he was probably hurting W's feelings.  Andrew looked at Fred and said, "But Dad, I'm wittle I don't know these things!"  That "wittle" boy will turn five this Sunday and I can't talk about it.  Hopefully, I'll be able to post a few picture to remember the day.  Seriously, where has the time gone??  I'm so glad I write all this down, but honestly I wish I could carry a video camera to record more.  All of them say and do some of the funniest things.  Sometimes I wish I could just bottle it all up...and then they start fighting/arguing and the moment's over.  Ha!