Knight in Shining Armor....

Last night was a treat for this Mommy's heart.  I was able to take my knight in training on a Mommy Son Date "Knight" at Chickfila. There Ian was able to work on his sword fighting techniques, learn more about chivalry and hone his armor.
All day long Ian kept asking if it was time for his "Mommy date"  and when the time finally arrived to head out, he jumped into my arms, squeezed my neck and giggled with excitement.  We could have ended the date right then and there and I would have been a happy camper! But more fun was to be had at the restaurant .. they had a balloon artist making swords, a craft where you could decorate your own shield,  a "real live knight" and of course, the obligatory Cow.  What is it that so captivates a child by seeing an over-sized,  mute, fake animal on two legs?  But then the real fun was yet to come, because when you put a bunch of 3-8 year old boys in a play room with swords and shields what do you think is going to happen... why they fight, of course! ;-)
I love Chickfila!  Not just for the obvious reason (their chicken is amazing!), but because I feel that they really do go out of their way to make your visit pleasurable, they do things that encourage parents to be active in kids lives and they strive to stand firm on their core Christian values.
Truly, we had a great time and I would have more pictures to share if my camera had decided not to act up.  But I owe a "Thank you" to the patient man in the Cow costume and to Chickfila of Coolsprings for a wonderful evening.

We are still here, I promise! :-)

Yes, it really has been a month and a half since my last post.  I have thought often of sitting down and writing something, but then I find it near impossible to find the time to do it.  Once I do get a few quiet moments the last thing I honestly want to do is be on the computer.  But alas, we are all still here and doing fine.  Home school has been going well and I can already see great improvement in Addie and her skills, which is encouraging because I don't think there has been any improvement in my teaching skills!
October has flown by and I can hardly believe that we are just a month away from Thanksgiving.  (Yes, I really just said that out loud!)  The fall colors have been surprisingly radiant, considering the lack of rain that we had through the summer and we have been enjoying the weather and the activities as much as possible, until winter chases us back inside for 3 months.
Addie has big news for a little kid!  (This is actually what has prompted me to sit down and write)  She learned to ride her bike yesterday!!!! I am sure that most of you can remember what a big day that was, when you finally accomplished the skill of balance.  She was beaming head to pedal and cruising all on her own up and down our street.  I am thankful that I put down the lap top and postponed ordering that printer ink that we are in need of and said, "Yes" to helping her for just a few minutes.  Those few minutes ended up being very special, as I was the one who got to help her take her first training wheel free ride!  Yesterday, reminded me that I need to say, "Yes" more instead of, "Wait just a minute" or "Not right now."  All too soon, they won't be asking for me to stop and watch and participate in every little detail of their lives.  But for now, she is not shy of the camera and does not think that Mommy and Daddy are embarrassing, so I have included a video of Addie's first solo ride for you all. :-)