Mother/Son Date

And now it was Jeremi's turn. Tiffani spent the day with Rochelle on Sunday afternoon so that Jeremi and I could have some alone time. He picked an Indian restaurant that some of our Indian friends had recommended called Chettinaad Palace. It was a buffet, so we were able to sample everything and then go back for the things that we really liked. I'll have to say, most of their food is incredibly hot! Our favorite turned out to be the coconut curry chicken. (I tried not to think about how many fat grams it must have.)

Jeremi was a perfect gentleman, holding the door, waiting for me, picking up 2 plates from the stack and offering me one, a young man I am proud of. We don't get to go out very often, but when we do, it is very special. After dinner, I asked him what he wanted to do, and he suggested that he would like a new tie to match his new shirt. We went to Syms and found a great match.

This was our last day of Teen Week. Craig and Bethani landed at DFW at 11:18, so now it is back to our usual routine. Something feels different with Jeremi though. He seems to have matured some as a result of our 'date.' I know these are rough and turbulent adolescent times moving from childhood into adulthood. I continue to ask God to give me wisdom to help navigate these unchartered waters.

Tokyo One

What a highlight to our week. My mom, better known as Nana by our kids, flew in to spend a wonderful 24 hours with us. We celebrated her birthday at our all time favorite restaurant, Tokyo One . We had a lot of fun and laughter, and oh the spoiling that went on in that brief time... It is always a treat when Nana and Papa come to visit.

D-Day

D-Day: The day one receives the express writen authority to DRIVE.



Yes. It is true. Tiffani now has her driving permit. After giving the usual fair warning to everyone we know locally that the sidewalks are no longer safe, we made our way to the DPS and successfully brought home that little slip of paper that makes her driving legal.

It was indeed an exciting day. After a few sudden stops at intersections, a few rolling stops, practice with the turn signals (engaged after making the stop before turning) and a scary experience that we won't discuss but involved a fire hydrant between 2 brick mailboxes, I declared Tiffani to be a good driving student!

Next time we are going to actually venture out of our neighborhood.

Mother/Daughter Date

What a joy it was today to connect with my oldest daughter/clone Tiffani. (People claim that we look just alike. I don't see the resemblance, but so many people say it, I have come to believe them.)

After Sunday School, Tiffani chose a Thai restaurant in Plano. We ordered Pad Thai and Tamarind something or other. It was all very good, and WE ATE IT ALL! Then we spent the afternoon shopping before it was time to head back for ensemble practice and then church. It was a great Girls Day Out!

Teen Saturday

Our Saturday morning started out verrrrryyyyy slooooowwwww, just like all Saturdays should. You know, no scurrying around to get to school. Just nice and easy. We managed to make and eat our traditional banana pancakes by 11:00, and then headed out to the DPS to get Tiffani's driving permit. How disappointing to get there only to find out that they don't have Saturday hours. We decided at that point to go shopping at Old Navy to soften the blow.

On the way home we took a poll for lunch. We decided on sushi at home. Lex got a crash course in rolling his own, and now he claims that he will be hitting his mom up to buy the paraphanalia to do it at his house.

I took them all to Bro. Dyral's house later that evening for a youth party, and then headed out to Firewheel for some shopping of my own. Jeremi is going home with Lex, so it will be just us two girls getting ready for church in the morning.

Teen Week

Well, we have just returned from the airport after dropping of Craig and our youngest, Bethani. They are headed for California to spend a week with Grammy and Grandpa. They are quite excited. They have many fun things planned.

So do we.

I have dubbed this week "Teen Week" I am left with our two oldest, and we are going to make the most of it. Already, we have taken on one more teen: Lex. On our way home, we picked him up to have a sleep over with Jeremi.

I will keep you updated as to the happenings around here.