A GOOD Long Weekend!

So Donny gets one vacation day while we are here this summer...TODAY. We debated about going to the beach for this long weekend but thought it would probably be quite crowded so we decided to do some family things around here...

Donny worked a bit of overtime on Friday and was home by 2:00. The kids and I spent the morning at a new library and Walmart. (I think I am getting used to the new WM layout here and have adjusted my "perfect" grocery list accordingly!)

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When Donny got home we headed to the Galleria Mall. I remember my grandma taking me there as a child. It was rainy and nasty out so the boys dropped us at the door of the American Girl Doll store. Liv and I thought about many of you all! (We thought of Andi, Palmer, and Dana who we traveled to Atlanta's AGD store with in the Fall and many of Liv's friends who also have AGDolls. We talk about you all SO OFTEN!) It was just a great mommy and daughter time. Liv had spent the morning trying to dress like Kit. She put on a skirt and shirt like Kit and then asked me to rebraid Kit's hair and then braid her hair to match Kit's. She got Kit as a Christmas gift and seriously acts as though Kit is a part of our family. (When we bought the table for the apartment she was so excited to know there were 6 chairs so that Kit could join us at the table!) Anyway, we walked around the store admiring all the beautiful dolls and their paraphernalia. We didn't make it upstairs to the cafe due to our time limit and the boys waiting but will head their before the summer is over! Liv was excited to purchase the scooter that Kit rides in the books we have read together. She also made a list of items she would like to save for...

Ready to go in!!!

Liv & Kit with all the "Kit variations"

After leaving the mall, we headed to the theater to watch Toy Story 3!! You all can rest easy tonight because The Loughry Children have finally been to the movie theater! :) We had a great time and it was fun to watch them see everything through new eyes. Boston chose gummy dinosaurs and Olivia chose Whoppers (maybe because she knew the rest of us can't eat them! hehe!) for a movie snack. Even Donny and I laughed out loud during the movie and got appropriately sad at the end of the movie when Andy...well, I won't give it away...

Ready for the show to begin...

Can you tell Bos has already started eating the gummy dinosaurs he picked out???

Love the chipmunk cheeks!!! What a great show! (Kit especially loved it!)

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Saturday was dubbed "Daddy and Kid Day." I spent the day at Grapevine Mills Mall, chatting on the phone with much-missed friends, and at Starbucks doing my devotions and reading a new Ted Dekker book. What a day I had! I vote for Daddy/Kid day to come around more often!

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Donny and the kids went swimming, to the park, and to Marble Slab Creamery. When I met them at Kohls to help Donny pick out more work clothes (you know, "professional clothes") the kids were just smiling and so happy! Donny was too!

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The night ended yucky for me with a nasty migraine but the kids and Donny headed to the Las Colinas fireworks. They got to watch from the top of Donny's office building and just had a super time. When they got home Boston said, "Mom, you missed out. I'll tell you all about it in the morning. My favorite were the brown (gold) ones!" Sweetness...

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Sunday started with church, again at Valley View Christian, we aren't too sure about this Sunday morning church thing! Just kidding... Then we came home for a bit of a rest before heading to a company picnic for Donny's work. It was good to meet some of the people Donny works with and the kids got along GREAT with Maddie and Dane. Liv even was brave around Maverick the dog and came in the same room with him! :) Big stuff for her... The fireworks were a bit of a bust as we had to walk nearly a mile to the lake to watch them and then couldn't see them at all. However, it was a gorgeous night and Grapevine Lake is beautiful. The walk back to the car...well...that was not so beautiful with two tired kids and some heavy chairs at 10:30 at night. :)

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Today was another good family day with pool time, cleaning time, and time spent driving around getting familiar with the area. It is just so big around here! We can go out and about for hours and never see the same thing. We did finally find a DQ though...yippee!! OH MY GOODNESS...HOW COULD I FORGET THE BIGGEST NEWS???? Boston is swimming!!! Real swimming! We are so proud! Liv was a great teacher and he is quite brave. Being a parent is so fun when you get to watch your kids make such big accomplishments!

I guess one thing this weekend made me think of was what we spend our time doing. I know many of us budget our money and look at how we spend it and make sure we use it wisely but I have spent time wondering what would happen if we did the same thing with our time. I mean, I know we have to work and provide for our families, but what about the rest of our TIME. We haven't hooked up cable this summer so we don't have ANY tv here so our nights are spent playing games, reading library books, cuddling, laughing, having pillow fights, and building with Legos. It is so different than at home where we have so many other responsibilites. I feel privileged, in a way, to have this summer to spend with my family to reconnect and to see who my kids and husband are without distraction. I don't have schoolwork to pull me away or anything else for that matter...I have more time to talk to Jesus and just think alongside Him...I have time to laugh with Donny, to watch old Indiana Jones movies with him and make fun of the 80's clothes they are wearing, and to just be... Food for thought...what are we spending all our time on??? I know I still have lots of adjustments to make...guess I have plenty of time to think about it! :)