When Papa's away...

the girls will play.

Jim had his annual poker weekend at Deep Creek Lake this past weekend. He looks forward to it every year and we miss him when he is gone but we don't begrudge him his time away. This year especially felt like a must do. The group had lost Steve over the summer and they have all struggled with it. This was their chance to get together on Steve's birthday, remember him, and be together.

Jim headed out on Thursday at noon and although he made it a point to say goodbye to each girl in the morning before school. They were sad and kind of surprised to realize he'd be gone all weekend when they got off the bus. We put in a few calls to help ease the transition and then we settled into our weekend activities.

Friday I came home from work early because Megan was heading off to go camping with her Brownie troop for the weekend. We gathered her gear and a bag dinner and she went off all smiles. Saturday morning was spent on the soccer fields first at Rachael's game and then at Emma's. Rae's team tied and Em's won. It was beautiful weather and a fun way to spend the morning.

That night Emma had a babysitting job and Rachael had a friend's birthday sleepover to go to so it was just Bridget and I for the evening. That never happens so we decided to make a evening of it and we went out to dinner together. Bridget picked the Double T Diner and we enjoyed pancakes and bacon for dinner. The best part though was the jello with whipped cream for dessert and special time with my little girl. She was full of stories and excitement for the upcoming week. She is enjoying kindergarten and was going to be the first child to get to be star of the week. She had a poster all about herself to do and special activities for each day of the week.

On Sunday our scattered family came back together, some a bit more tired than others. We picked Rachael up from the party and she brought with her cupcakes they had decorated. Jim was home around lunch time to very happy girls, me included. Then Megan was dropped off with her damp smelly gear and a huge smile and a pocket knife. We shared stories of our adventures and then went to Mass together before returning home to eat dinner. We ended the weekend by getting snuggled in on the sofa together and watching the Avengers movie. It was a great way to cap off an eventful weekend for all.