the weekend

Friday night was the Fall Festival at Asher's elementary school. I wanted to blog about it when we got home, but I made the mistake of sitting in the recliner after getting the children bathed and in the bed, and I didn't get out of it until it was bedtime. LOL. It was raining a bit but I braved it anyway, Asher realllllly wanted to go. John was on call and working late so I knew I would be on my own. When he got home from school at 4 pm, Allie was still snoozing and we were unpacking his backpack and his folder with all the week's papers (that is like 10 trees worth or something!) and he said something about the Festival, and before I could say I wanted to take them, he says, "I know we can't go Mommy." And I say, "Why not?" and he says, "Well because Daddy is on call and your back hurts." It about broke my heart! I said, "Oh, I am doing better today, I was at the doctor this morning and I am feeling pretty good and I wanted to take you and Allie, even without Daddy!" His face lit up. He knows how I have struggled with my back and obviously it affects all aspects of our lives. When we were at the Festival we ran into his teacher and she said, "I thought you weren't coming! He told me you were sick, that your back was hurt." I told her I am doing much better. We got to meet her little baby girl, Olivia, who is about 5 months old and totally adorable. We also saw Asher's best buddy, a boy named Charlie. He sits at the same table with Asher in class. His mom is a second grade teacher. He plays Flag Football, too but on a different team (bummer!). He is a little pistol, much like Asher. I can only imagine how Mrs Hughes keeps the peace at that table. He is a cute little boy though, with blue eyes, brown hair and freckles, a little shorter than Asher but stockier. He can run like lightning though! Anyway, he and Asher were totally attached at the hip! It was so cute but also unnerving, as this was my first experience with letting Asher run around with a friend instead of staying next to me. This was his territory, he knows that school and I knew they would be safe but it was still strange to let him out of my sight. The first step was letting the two of them go through the Haunted House together. When they finally came out, I was trying to corral Allie and I asked Asher to wait a minute and off he went with Charlie, and it was so noisy in the gym he couldn't hear me calling for him. I had to chase them down and I was NOT happy. I was scolding Asher, telling him I knew he was excited but when I say wait a minute, he needs to mind me or we would leave! Charlie saw me getting onto Ash, and boy was he at his side in a flash, sticking up for him to me, saying things like "he couldn't hear you" and "he was with me, it's ok!" It was adorable and I had to really work to keep from giggling because I was trying to be serious and let Asher know that he could play with his friend, but he also needed to still be minding. I was ready to eat, and I wanted Ash to come, too, but he wanted to play with Charlie. He was very stubborn about it and so I relented and let them go off together and told him I would be in the cafeteria when he was ready to eat, come find me. So off they went, hand in hand, and off Allie and I went to get supper and check out the auction things in the cafeteria. Asher did come and find me about 20 minutes later, Charlie had to leave, so he stuck with me from then on. I don't want to say it hurt my feelings that he wanted to be with Charlie, because it didn't. It was just strange, that is the first time we have dealt with that and it is just another sign of his emerging independence and growing up. After eating we headed outside for the Frog Derby, very entertaining! Kids had brought various frogs, from baby ones to big bullfrogs, and they all let them go in a small circle and whichever one made it to the outer circle first won. The first try, a little girl let go of her big bullfrog too soon, and then everyone else let their's go, and it was total mayhem trying to restore order for a re-do. The bullfrog came hopping like fire right at us! We jumped out of the way and someone finally caught it, and the little girl was just standing there hollering and crying. It was hilarious. So they did a re-do, and I am not kidding you, every single frog either just sat there or took one or two leaps, and then froze. Every. Single. One. The contestants were blowing on them and pounding the pavement trying to get them to move, and the referee is yelling in her bullhorn, "STAY IN THE CIRCLE! DO NOT TOUCH THE FROGS!!!!!!!" It was hilarious!!! There was also a little petting zoo area set up with a sheep, several baby goats, a calf, a miniature horse, and a baby donkey. There was also a baby black pig, it was soooo cute! It was the pig that the teachers had to Kiss. They have been doing a fundraiser called Kiss the Pig, and whichever class in each grade raised the most money, their teacher had to kiss the pig smack on the snout. We didn't stay for that, as it was already after 7 and we were getting worn out. Saturday we hung out around the house, played the Wii, crafted, messed with bees, and so forth. I got done with Annabeth's dance tote, it is SUPER CUTE! And also started my first "pillowcase dress". I hope it turns out cute, I am about a quarter of the way done. John is on call all weekend, and he had to go in around 2 am Friday night and didn't get home until early afternoon Saturday. He didn't have to go back though all day and last night, and then got called in this morning around 9 am and is still there (12:30 pm). Couple of different surgery cases and managing an epidural. No telling when he will be back. Just got a phone call and want to chat, so outta here!