High Five for Friday (10.25.13)

I mentioned last Friday that I planned to try something new this week, and now here we are. Today (and for at least the next few weeks), instead of a weekly wrap-up, I'm going to link up with High Five for Friday. High Five for Friday (H54F) - hosted by Lauren Elizabeth, a blogger I read occasionally - is an opportunity to reflect on the past week and then document five favorite experiences, moments, accomplishments from those seven days.

So without further adieu, here we go!

1. My Gal Hal loves to create. (And destroy, but let's talk about that side of her in a separate post. Oh alright, I'll link you to proof here, here, and here. Oh, and here too.) She could spend all day lost in her own little world of coloring, drawing, painting, cutting, pasting, stickering, and glittering.

On Tuesday night Hallie's preschool hosted its annual Art Show. When we arrived in her classroom, Hallie took my hand and led me from one table to the next, showing off the many different projects she lovingly created. I could see how proud she was of herself, and I hope she could see how proud I was of her as well.

2. Will and I enjoy a monthly lunch date at his elementary school. I joined him for our October lunch early in the month on his birthday, so he didn't expect to see me when he walked into the lunchroom on Wednesday morning. The look on his face, the excitement in his voice...I wish I could bottle seven-year-old Will so that one day, perhaps when he reaches the teenage years and wants as little to do with his parents as possible, I can uncork the bottle and enjoy the memory of what a sweet little Mama's Boy he used to be.

3. Starbucks technically serves Caramel Apple Spices year-round, but I only allow myself to order this delicious drink when there's a "chill in the air" (and once a week). In Michigan I usually enjoyed my first Caramel Apple Spice at the beginning of September, but here in Texas, September temperatures - even those in the early morning - rarely sink below 75 degrees. Not exactly chilly.

The daytime temperatures still reach the upper 70s or low 80s, but the gradually descending nighttime temperatures have finally made it possible for me to drink warm beverages again. As I headed out the backdoor to walk Will to school that first cool morning, I knew that whatever plans I'd previously made for the day were null and void, at least until I had Caramel Apple Spice in hand.

It was so worth the wait.

4. This - a wonderful glimpse into the very special relationship shared by father and son - is just the best. When he cried, I cried. When he laughed, I laughed. I highly recommend you cry and laugh along with him.

5. And this is pretty cool too.

I hope your week deserved a high five!