Goodness

Good things, this weekend has had many of them:

• A high temp of 88 degrees, nearly 20 degrees lower than the temperatures a week ago.  We've been outside all day and are having chili for dinner.  In Texas, anything under 98 in August is a gift from the gods.


• RAIN!!  Lots and lots of desperately needed, life affirming rain.  The constant flash flood warnings and the 30 minutes we lost power while I was cooking dinner last night couldn't put a damper on our happiness.


• Even better, the rain came with delicious afternoon thunderstorms.  The first clap of thunder hit 15 minutes after we put the kids down for their naps and JP and I spent the next 2.5 hours in our own bed sleeping (him) and reading (me) and watching the lightning and dark clouds roll across our upper bedroom windows.  It was the best Saturday afternoon I've spent in quite some time.


• Hugs.  Claire is full to bursting with them and I'm attacked from all angles every few minutes.  She is so sweet and fun and adorable right now I feel like I can't get enough of her.



(she also picks out all of her own clothes)


• Homework.  Landon did his first "homework" assignment from school.  I think it was just a leftover math worksheet his teacher gave him because he likes worksheets so much (I knew he got a teensy bit of me in him), but he took it very seriously and got to work immediately after getting home Friday afternoon.  I miss math.  Also, homework.  





• Swimming!  Both kids had lessons yesterday and today and are doing so well!  Landon can swim freestyle, breathing to the side, for two laps in the pool without stopping, and Claire has stopped crying and floats by herself while singing the ABC's like it's no big deal.  .




I'm so lucky to have a sexy swim instructor living with me (and his rates are so reasonable!)





• Exercise.  Long family walk on Saturday (it was 73 degrees! 73!!) and barre class this morning.  I swear my tummy is getting bigger, but my legs are looking stronger.  Seems like an odd trade-off.  JP also rigged up a stationary swimming device for the pool with a belt, stretch cord, and tree trunk, so he can train even more than the 5 days a week he already does.





• Hunger Games. I lost much of last week re-reading the trilogy and watched the movie with JP last night. I found I liked the books even more upon my very delayed third re-reading (I think, for the first time ever in a trilogy, the 2nd book is my favorite) and liked the movie much more than I feared but slightly less than I hoped. It's so hard to capture the overall tone and feel of the book in a PG-13 movie, but I still thought it was a good effort and I look forward to #2.