Best Weekend Ever

We all had a great weekend, and here's why.

1) We only had two days of school last week - it was a gentle ease back into the school year and made the weekend so sweet.

2) My Christmas gift to myself came in the mail!!! I used gift cards and bought a GPS running watch, and I got to use it. Twice! It is amazing! I tell it what pace I want to hit, and it lets me know if I'm on/ahead of/behind it. It tells me how far I've gone, how many calories I've burned, etc. And I can plug it into the computer and get details of each run - it is, legitimately, my new best friend, especially since Day 1 of Official Marathon Training started today. I'm loving running outside these days, though I think the upcoming musical schedule is going to limit that. I made the most of this weekend, though.

3) We went to the Science Center with AJ's parents. The boys had a BLAST! Trains, water tables, ball pits - what could be better? And, best of all? AJ and I got in for free! Gotta love the occasional teacher discount.

The water room is a big hit!

4) Ethan's day got even better - my mom took him for a sleepover on Saturday. He was delighted. They spent the evening watching a Scooby Doo movie and playing with Lincoln Logs. On Sunday, she took him to see Monsters Inc. 3D in our theater. He came home excited, but exhausted, and took a three hour nap (at the same time as Jack - I told you this was the best weekend ever!).

Pressing his face on the glass...

5) My Saturday was pretty rad, too. After Science Center fun, I headed to our dear friend's house. Nate lived with AJ and I during college, was in our wedding, and has recently become ENGAGED to an amazing guy. We couldn't be happier for the two of them, and I was THRILLED to spend some quality wedding planning time with them. And they took me to dinner. It couldn't have been a better day for me.

Jack loved looking at the fishies.

He even used a magnifying glass!

6) I had NO school work to grade (I smartly left a few papers at school...) and nothing to plan, so I got to read. I'm reading a great book - Wild - and have loved curling up in a cozy chair and reading. Usually while Jack flops all over me, but still. The book IS called Wild, after all.

Spinning pool balls on a record player

7) Ethan and I have been reading The Wizard of Oz - just a few pages before bed and nap - for a few weeks. This is the first time we've ever done a long book that took more than one sitting, and he did great. I am calling it research for his upcoming role of 'Cutest Munchkin on Stage' for AJ's production. We have started to watch the movie as a treat.

8) Speaking of treats, I've decided one of my goals/resolutions this year is to focus more on the positives with our boys. I've stolen an idea from Pinterest and created a "Caught You Being Good" jar for the boys that's filled with little slips of paper detailing a 'treat' for good behavior. Things like playing Wii, getting a cake pop or a trip to Target's dollar bin, reading an extra book at bed time, etc. I'm excited to start using it!

9) We also stole a page PIN and are going to keep a jar in the house to fill with 'memories' - when we do something fun, Ethan says something off the wall, Jack learns a new trick, etc., we'll jot it down on a scrap of paper. On New Year's Eve this year, we'll read through all the scraps and review our fun year. I have a few things to put in there already :-)