One of my most fun days as a parent

Yesterday will go down as one of my most fun days as a parent.  It was very busy and definitely exhausting, but I really enjoyed every minute of it.  It began early with a cross country meet for both Robert & Catherine.  It was in the same town that we ventured to on Tuesday, and I also knew that because our former school district was there again, and this time our good friend Jen would be there.  We thought that Robert wasn't running until the "open" race at the end, but Kyle was running an earlier race so we got there to watch him.  Thank goodness we did...it turns out Robert did run in that race as well!  As is typical for a fifteen-year-old, communication isn't his strong suit!  It was such a cold and damp morning, but we enjoyed it.  Robert's race had a fabulous ending.  While he still finished in the last 1/3 of the racers, he was involved in a photo finish.  As he and another runner rounded the corner, the Dunbar runner (a school known for its sprinting speed) began to sprint.  Robert kicked it up as well, and a sprint to the finish was on!  Knowing the reputation of Dunbar's speed, I didn't think there was anyway Robert could out sprint the kid for the distance they had left.  He kept just a step ahead though, and as they passed I really started screaming for him.  I then began jumping up and down (my enthusiasm has always been part of my charm, lol) and Robert managed to finish 0.2 seconds ahead of the other kid.  Our friend Jen managed to catch in on video, but because I don't have a smart phone we don't know how to get it off and save it.  Catherine ran her race (and she is no longer walking, so we are pleased) and we came home to warm up before our crazy evening.

We were able to watch some college football and hang out for a bit until Andrew left to meet up with some friends from Florida who were in town.  I was helping Robert get ready for Homecoming, and then we left for group pictures.  It was just so amazing to watch my son all dressed up and be "adult-like".  The other kids and their parents all seemed very nice (although I had to wonder about the folks wearing Alabama t-shirts...hmph) and they were off.  Andrew and I went back to hang out with his friends from Florida a bit more, and by the time we were home near 8:00, I was ready for an early bedtime.  Dream on though, because Robert needed to be picked up from the dance at Midnight, and we had agreed he could attend a bonfire afterwards.  We all (minus the younger two) tumbled into bed at 3:00 this morning and to be honest, we are ALL feeling it today.  I absolutely loved though, hearing him tell us about all of the fun he had last night.  Parenting a social high school student is definitely a new phase, but right now it's a lot of fun!