A Weekday Dinner

I shared a rare weekday meal with Mackenzie and Mason this evening. Sure, on the weekends we eat almost all of our meals together: family pizza on Fridays, Saturday morning pancakes, late afternoon lunches and Sunday morning donuts. But lately we haven't had much time for weekday family dinners. Mason's evening schedule has been consumed with football and ATA. You would think we could at least have a nice family dinner on Sunday evenings but Mackenzie has recently joined the church youth group that meets right during dinner. They even provide a free dinner for all of the youth.

But tonight I had the pleasure of enjoying the company of both my kids at my school's PTO Spaghetti Dinner. The best part was the fact that I didn't have to clean the dishes!

Magazines, Magazines and more Magazines

If anyone is interested in renewing their magazines, hopefully at a reduced rate, Mackenzie's school has kicked off their fall fundraiser. Orders can be made online at QSP.com. Mackenzie's school is North Naples Middle and her code is MOR1.

Soap and Candle Ceremony

Mason participated in the ATA Soap and Candle Ceremony tonight. This tradition began after Grand Master Lee was given soap and a candle by his own instructor when he left Korea in 1964.

During the ceremony, black belt are presented two gifts by their instructor: a bar of soap and a candle. Both gifts symbolize the sacrifice of the taekwondo instructor for his students: the soap sacrifices itself to clean the body, just as the instructor sacrifices himself to train the student. Likewise, the candle sacrifices itself to provide illumination, just as the instructor does for his students. Black belts light their candle from the instructor’s candle to symbolize the passing of knowledge. The new black belts then become sources of light and knowledge themselves.

Double Digits

The baby of the household officially turned double digits yesterday. We have a household rule that you cannot have sleepovers until you turn 10. Mason has been waiting a long time to have his best friend spend the night. So, he opted to have a slumber party rather than hosting a large birthday party. I must admit that it went well with no drama at all. Hence, the reason for making them wait until they are 10.

Celebrating at a pizza restaurant before heading to Extreme Air Sports

Mason's 4th grade class enjoying his birthday cupcakes.

On a totally different note, we cleaned out our storage unit this weekend. I went to put my boxed wedding dress away in a closet and noticed a small hole in the box. I decided to take the dress out and inspect it for any damage from the last 23 years. Much to my surprise the dress is in pristine condition. I decided, what the heck, why not try it on. Mackenzie has always laughed at my dress in our old wedding photos but once she saw it in person she liked it. To quote her "I might wear it at my wedding."

Thursday Night Lights

After years of asking, we have finally allowed Mason to try tackle football. It hasn't been easy. At first Mason had to get used to wearing a helmet. It was tight, heavy and caused him to get headaches. Then he had to get used to tackling his teammates. He wasn't trying his hardest at practices because he was afraid of hurting his own teammates which are also his friends. Then came his first injury during a game, an opponent rolled over his knee. It scared him so much that he didn't play during the last quarter. Hopefully, we are over the all the drama and can start enjoying the season.

Where were you?

I was nine months pregnant and had just dropped Mackenzie off for her first day of preschool in Naples. I had spent a long hot summer entertaining an active 3 year old while in the final stages of my pregnancy. I was so looking forward to a few hours of peace and quiet knowing that I would soon have a newborn in the house. I had even rented a movie from Blockbuster knowing that I had just enough time to watch it before having to pick up Mackenzie by noon. As I turned on the TV, NBC was showing footage of the second plane crashing into the tower. I stayed glued to the television trying to convince myself that everyone in the buildings had made it out safely. I vividly remember Matt Lauer saying he thought a huge chunk of the building had fallen off and minutes later the first building collapsed.

The next day, the City of Naples seemed to temporarily shut down from libraries to post offices to government services. For me, life had to continue. I had a baby due within days. Darin, Mackenzie and I had to drive across Alligator Alley for my last doctor's appointment. I was to be admitted to the hospital on Sunday in hopes of inducing the baby. Mason was born at 7:17 am on Tuesday, September 18th (exactly one week after 9/11). Even though Mason's birth was traumatic, I didn't realize how lucky I was until I heard of other moms who were in labor on 9/11. It must be bittersweet to celebrate the birthdays of children born on 9/11/01.

September 2001

2 down, 6 more to go

The good news is that we finished two rooms in the house, the dining room and Mackenzie's bedroom. The bad news, we still have six more rooms to go.