Case of the Mondays??

If people looked forward to Mondays as much as Fridays, the week would surely fly by faster than it does. Instead, most moan about Monday as if it were the same as a trip to dentist, which I've never really understood because I love going for a cleaning!

Anyhoo, if you're having one of those Mondays, I thought I'd treat you to some of the joys that have come my way lately.  Maybe they'll brighten up your day.  Or make you smile.  It's always better to smile than frown anyway because they say it takes more muscles to make a grumpy face...and I'm sure it causes more wrinkles!

Plus, I feel like I owe ya a post, since I wasn't very Faithful at posting this past Friday.  More on that below!

May seem funny to start out with on a post about joy but my weekend started a little weepy.  You see, my baby is starting High School this week.  My itty bitty, little mouse, once tiny now towering boy is all-most grown-up and now has one foot out the door.  It's hard for this momma to grasp that her strapping guy of 6 feet 2 1/2 inches has reached this stage of life.

At the same time, this season he's in brings up a lot of bittersweet memories about Austin that add to the water works.  Freshman orientation is about the last happy high school memory we have of our first born, now gone from this world.  He left us just three short months later.

So you can imagine that I was biting my lip extra hard at an effort to keep it all together Thursday night, as we walked Noah around his new school.

But several things helped me in the process, like seeing the excitement on Noah's face.  I don't know why but I think he's been ready for high school since preschool.  Orientation didn't start until 5 pm but he was calling me after lunch, wanting to know when we'd leave.  Much to our surprise, Tina even got teary-eyed, as we drove past the middle school.  She commented that she didn't know if she was ready for her "little cousin" to be this big.  That girl never cries at things like this but it hugged my heart at how close they've become. It helped distract her tears, in finding excitement by showing him around and introducing him to teachers.  Each of them got a chuckle at her "little cousin" introduction, given that he's two feet taller than she.
And of course, at the close of the night, once we settled into the car to head home, I glanced down at my phone to see the battery on 23%.  Austin's way of saying hello and that he'll most certainly be watching over his little brother.

The rest of the weekend continued to be focused on our two teens, as we began and completed their school shopping in one giant swoop.  It was sweaty and hectic, crowded and chaotic, and my feet hurt more with each step.  I'd say it reminded me again and again how old I'm becoming but even my energetic dancer complained about her aching toes, so I know it meant we walked A LOT.  But in the mix of the hustle and bustle, we did share some great moments and lots of laughs.

Slug bug punches.  Bohemian Rhapsody.  White Castle Crave Case.  

Funny Tshirts.  

The search for the biggest - and smallest - shoes in the store.  

Impromptu visit with my sister's babies and extra sweet hugs from Baby Rae.  

Fresh, yummy cherries.  Stripper pants.  Evening walk with my hubby.

School snack stock-up.

  A Tim & Tina date.

And of course....Sushi!

It was a wonderful way to spend the last free weekend before school starts 

and this momma surely enJOYed soaking up the memories!