High Five for Friday (8.14.15)

1. The two College Station high schools' dance teams host lovely summer camps for little girls. Hallie adores every aspect of these camps - from spending time with her friends to dancing and crafting to indulging in the delicious snacks and lunches - and I LOVE watching my girl and her sweet friends show off what they've learned under the tutelage of their dance idols.

     

2. Most days, Will still enjoys spending time with me. We have a lot in common - we like roller coasters and rides, playing and watching sports, swimming, playing board and card games, watching movies, and perhaps above all else, reading - and he hasn't yet realized that hanging out with mom isn't super duper cool. Though the time will come when he chooses as his sidekick a friend and not me, I hope he never stops letting me read "near him". Time spent reading with my boy is time well - even perfectly - spent.

Yes, we were in the car. No, we weren't moving.

3. This high five is a couple weeks late, thanks to me downloading the photos and then completely forgetting about them. Story of my summer…

Toward the end of our visit to Wisconsin, my mom, sister, and I spent a day shopping at an outlet mall about an hour outside of Madison. We took Hallie with us but left the other kiddos behind, assuming Hallie would enjoy the girls-only environment and knowing that on her own, she would be easy to handle. Hallie brought along books, coloring pages, crayons, stickers, and snacks, but eventually grew tired of these items and asked to take pictures with my phone of the outfits we tried on. I agreed, and she proceeded to take more than 250 pictures of this, that, and the other in the stores' dressing rooms.

It can be difficult to see the world - and even more so to understand the world - from our children's perspectives. I love getting my phone back after Will or Hallie has taken photos, as it gives me a glimpse into what that short period of time looked like through their eyes.

4. Coming soon to my parents' Madison neighborhood…Double SS BBQ! I've actually never heard of Double SS BBQ, but the picture on the door - of the state of Texas blended with the state of Wisconsin - gives me hope that Texas' mouth-watering BBQ will soon be available just steps from my parents' front door!

5. Happiness Highlights:

Hallie found her kindred spirit
at the/with this Grumpy Troll.

And I found the pretzel of my dreams, also at the
Grumpy Troll. (Hallie's hand is there as a reference.)

"Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil."
Cute little monkeys...

As much as I'd like to keep this dollar bill, I think it best if I "release
it" back into circulation. The next 15 months are going to be rough...

When she can't sleep, my little Monica Geller likes to clean the bathroom.

Will and I started playing epic (as in they last longer than an hour)
board games this week. I crushed him in a two-day Monopoly
match, but thus far - and sadly - we're nearly tied at Scrabble.

My favorite picture of the week…can you spot Will?
After a long week of watching dance camp run-throughs and
showcases, Will reached his breaking point and needed to escape
the girly giggles and squeals. This was the best he could do. 

Happy Friday, friends!

Linking up with High Five for Friday!