Labor Day Weekend 2008

This has been a wonderful Labor Day weekend so far. Jer has been off work since Thursday, which is such a treat for Colin and I. My mom and sister Alieson came into town yesterday for a quick overnight visit and left after lunch today. It was wonderful to see them, even for a short trip. We all had lunch yesterday at Polenzo's, which is one of my new favorite places that just opened up within walking distance of our house! Jer then stayed home with Colin yesterday afternoon and I was able to spend a few hours shopping with my mom and sister. We went to Ann Taylor, which reminded me almost immediately that I don't get to wear beautiful clothes anymore. Having a "suit" job can really be a pain sometimes, but at least I got to wear fabulous clothes. Don't worry...I would still much rather take care of Colin than wear cashmere. :-)

Last night we went to Big Lots while Jer stayed home with the man, which is yet another strange family tradition. Big Lots is this huge closeout store that is full of random junk with the odd little treasure tucked in here and there. My mom and sisters and I have always loved to go there and just mill around checking things out. It is the kind of place that you go into needing nothing and come out of with a decorative yard sign, wooden basket, kitchen rug, and Halloween table runner. (yes, that is exactly what I ended up with. It could have been worse...at one point I was looking at chairs for heaven's sake!) It was fun to be out at night with the girls, especially since being out past sunset is a novelty to me at this stage of the game!

Hurricane Gustov is heading toward the Gulf Coast as we speak and has put a damper on the weekend for all of us down here. My dad was unable to come to visit because he is knee deep in preparation for his stores in the areas that are near what looks like landfall. While the hurricane has been in the news for several days, it just got really bad yesterday. We have been glued to Fox News all day long and it looks like it should hit around New Orleans tomorrow morning and will be a Category 3 storm. I am worried about my good friend Shannon and her family...they went on a much needed weekend vacation to Galveston this weekend and are there now. What horrible timing! Since Galveston should get a huge pounding, I would imagine they got stuck in the horrible traffic of folks evacuating. I am sure hoping they are safe and sound tonight. I know she was really looking forward to the trip and her twins first visit to the beach. What luck.

We treated Colin to a huge bubble bath tonight, which accounts for the adorable pictures. I bought a bottle of the real "Mr. Bubble" at the store today and the tub was overflowing with bubbles. He was not sure what to think at first, but then started exploring and had a blast. It is the little moments like these that make me burst at the seams with pure joy. I love him so much!