Joy in disguise

So this is the weekend that I've been dreading for months. All of the extracurriculars descended on us for an overly scheduled weekend. I've secretly been calling it the 'weekend of the perfect storm'. Some people can do it with style and grace. I on the other hand do not. I prefer peaceful, freeform weekends where we can plan spontaneous trips to the park with friends, and I can catch up on whatever didn't get done during the week.

All that to say it was a "divide and conquer" kind of weekend.

Bleh. 

But you know what? I was wrong. Very wrong. I started to realize just how wrong I was while goofing off with Alex as we waited for the results of the design contest for the regional Pinewood Derby.  48 hours, entirely way too many performances of the church musical, and a trip to the symphony later, I was convinced.

This weekend that I was so sure was designed by the enemy to turn me into a stressed out tornado was really a gift. A weekend to reconnect with my oldest child, and cherish him for who he is. And who he's becoming. To be totally psyched about how much he loved that symphony performance, and to laugh at him as he teased me in the grocery store.

He's been through a crazy whirlwind this year, and he's been thrown into more stressful situations than he ever signed up for. But he's taken it all with grace and determination. He's a keeper that's for sure. And we're so lucky to have him.