Bonus Weekend

Since I was supposed to be out of town this past weekend, I realized that my time with the girls was bonus time.

While spending a couple of hours at my mom’s so that Olivia could get her wiggles out with Jaxon before we headed home to the sick house, I thought about what the girls and I might do with our bonus weekend.

I decided to check the local listings and see if there were any movies we might like to see that Friday night. I figured that the longer we could give Tom to sleep his illness away in a quiet house, the better.

I found a theater about forty minutes away that was playing Dolphin Tale at 4:35. Perfect timing! I could pick Alyssa up at school, head toward the town where the movie was playing, feed the girls and early dinner and make the movie before Olivia got too tired to even enjoy it.

It was one of those fabulous, spontaneous evenings that happen so rarely because we’re always so busy doing everything else.

Most of the laundry was done, the dishwasher had been emptied, the floors were swept. Time was ours.

Saturday morning dawned cold and frosty. I’d signed Alyssa up for a race that had been postponed for 9am that morning. She was nervous but excited. She’d never actually run in a race before and so this was something new.

She won!! She came in first of all the girls in her grade. We cheered and yelled as she pulled away from the pack and made her way to the finish line. She got a pumpkin and a ribbon just for showing up and a First Place Plaque for being an awesome runner. I am so, so glad I got to be there to see that.

After A’s race, the three of us headed to Walmart and the library. We didn’t actually need much as Walmart, but I was looking for an excuse to stay out of the house a little longer. Tom was still in the resting phase of his flu or whatever it was that knocked him off his feet.

Once back home, the frost had melted and the sun was shining. It was one of those amazing fall days that you have to spend a portion of outside. Alyssa rode her bike around the driveway and Olivia climbed up and down the front porch stairs. She managed to exhaust herself quite thoroughly.

After three bowls of potato soup, Olivia was ready for pajamas and rocking by 7pm. By 8:30, Alyssa had replaced Olivia on my lap and she, too, was sound asleep.

Sunday was another frosty morning that warmed up to a glorious day. It was the perfect day for Alyssa’s last soccer game of the season.

And yes, of course her team won that game. That’s just how the weekend was going for us.

This morning Tom apologized to me for ruining my weekend.

I looked him and said, “You didn’t ruin my weekend. It might not have been the weekend I’d planned to have but it was a great one anyway. It was a bonus weekend for me and the girls. I was right where I was supposed to be.”