Hard Working Weekend

We've been getting up pretty early nearly every day for what seems like every day of the past few weeks. Saturday was no exception :) We tried to leave the house by 8, but felt pretty successful at 9 a.m. as Buck pulled into the gas station for a fill-up. 

In a crazy turn of events--we left the girls home by themselves! Overnight! But at nearly 17 and more than halfway through 15, this seemed okay for 24 hours or so :) They had a blast. They went to choir, shopped for dinner and baking mixes at the grocery store, got to try out the new iron, watched Aladdin and a "how to ballroom dance" video, stayed up late, and took care of the dogs. This was the main reason they stayed home. Our neighbors who usually watch Chauncey for us are dealing with an ongoing flea situation (since mid-September!!). We didn't want any accidental fleas to find their way into our fully-carpeted abode. Similar situation with my mom's house. Although she's going the full-chemical, not messing around with natural remedies route, so we probably had nothing to worry about. Not sure how in-town dogs are picking up fleas, but the crazy weather and maybe an abundance of yard-dwelling wildlife seems to be complicating things for little pets. We certainly didn't want any *big pet* infestations, so the dogs stayed home with the girls and visa versa.

Our first duties upon arrival at my mom's were pretty chill--eat a roast--fresh from the oven, fix up some outdoor lights on a nice fall day, and help hold a nine-week-old baby while more formula was secured at the store. Not too shabby! It also wasn't terrible that mom arrived home with a chocolate birthday cake for the two birthday boys. Whoohoo, frosting!



We started the process of sorting out the things in the garage and in mom's room. Planning ahead for my dad's expected home care season, mom saved bags and bags of hospital gowns and accoutrements. Sadly unnecessary, these added to the pile of *no time to take care of that* that seemed to absorb the summer. As we dug through the pile, we tossed things clear back to my brother's graduation party in May, there's just been too may other things that needed care first. 

I also helped sort through my dad's clothes and shoes. A few things we kept, a few things fit Brennen or Buck, and a lot can be donated to help others. This also gave mom some room to rearrange things in her closet and feel more organized. It can be overwhelming knowing where to start. I was happy to help while mom held the baby :) I will say I was incredibly sore the following two days, a not-so-gentle reminder at just how out of shape I've gotten this summer--it's been stressful! I had muscles hurting that I didn't know existed (and I thought the lake and forest hike of the previous weekend was taxing, ha!)



Buck, the boys, and my brother went to town on the garage. They were able to fill up CJ's pick-up truck with stuff for the dump, which my brother delivered. Before we left, we filled the truck again and a trailer. I'm sure the house is feeling lighter and more roomy already :) Plus, now there's some space to bring items up from the basement to be sorted, kept, tossed, and donated. It was a long day, but a good start :)

One of our planned activities was to catch my nephew's final home football game of his senior year! We also planned to catch the senior night presentation with my sister and bro-in-law, but we were still resetting the garage as the sun did its setting and we missed it. I did get a follow-up pic of Brother Bob with "his" flowers though (really my sister's, she was trying to reheat in the sauna-like bathroom because it was stinkin' cold outside!! :)







I caught up with my friend Melissa, as she walked by with her grandbaby . . . yup, my high school classmate is a grandma. Surely we're not that old yet! I guess her son just got started with his family a little early (like before he got his drivers' license, early). Mel says it's a challenge, but they love the little chubby-cheeked cutie (of course!) and are very attached to him.

Let's see game details . . . I can't say much, because my old eyes were having a hard time finding my nephew's number on the field. If only the big yellow arrow that I can add to my pictures would follow him around in real life! That would be extremely handy for Auntie J ;) Night-vision is just not one of my superpowers, ha! 

Let's see, from Buck's reactions, my nephew played well. He had a lot of hits, and spent a lot of time in the game. Graysen had been commenting how they'd never gotten to see a football game in person (well, since the last time we watched my nephew play a year ago). So he sat in the stands with Maga and his cousin G and cheered Cody on from there! Look at me, helping solve life's little problems ;)



Before we headed home the next day, I pulled more of dad's stuff out of the bedroom closet. Graysen helped Maga sort about 700 pairs of black and white socks. Buck, after 12 years, made friends with Sniffy AND fixed trim throughout the house with his nail gun. And Brennen learned the fine art of hanging wallpaper, as my hours of doing so in childhood came back to me in spurts of remembrance. It is always nice to help finish a project that has been in the works for awhile. We didn't get to my brothers' bathroom, but there are only so many hours in the day--and we had to get home for karate testing!








Graysen says he never sleeps in the car, but I don't know how any of us stayed awake on that ride home--we were wiped out! (Okay, I *might* also have succumbed to the heavy eye lids for a few moments myself, but just at the VERY end of the trip ;)