Weekend Wrap Up

Sunday afternoon my knees and elbows kissed the driveway as I sprawled out under the thick clouds that had slowly stolen away our previously blue skies.  Next to me, Charlie was in the same position while Chanelle sat “like a pretzel” on my other side.  Surrounding us were two scooters that had fallen to their sides, a soccer ball, a few Frisbee’s, a baseball bat or two, a large bucket of sidewalk chalk, and the shavings of freshly cut grass from the mower that Chad had just swept across our path.  The mower echoed from the backyard as Charlie, Chanelle, and I chatted about nothing in particular.  Suddenly, out of no where I was startled by an older couple that had walked up behind us.  The couple stopped and made polite conversation as Chad whipped by on the mower.  All of a sudden the woman looked at me and asked, are you the babysitter? 

I did my best to contain my laughter, smiled politely and responded, no, I’m the Mom.  Truthfully, on the inside I was feeling quite proud of myself. . . I was just mistaken for the babysitter!  Oh yeah, I’ve still got it. . . I patted myself on the back.  But then I looked down and saw the scene from this couple’s perspective. . .

Perhaps not many grown adults would be so intense, belly to the ground, creating driveway art.  Perhaps this couple didn’t see “youth”, but rather, juvenility. Ah well. Either way, I’ll take it. . .being mistaken for the babysitter was a nice note on which to end a full weekend.

All week we were looking forward to taking our first family trip to the Lake this season.  The kids were stoked to see my Dad, sister, and especially to introduce Miss Meadow to the boat.  When we pulled up to my Dad’s dock the kids cheered, this is our first time this year and Meadow’s first time EVER!!  There was no warming up period needed. . . they were ready to hit the water. . . and hit the water we did.

Charlie and Chanelle stared intently toward the water until they found what they were looking for. . .

Look!!  Over there!  A shark!!  Or a whale!!!  Despite our attempts to educate them that there are no sharks or whales in Lake Erie. . . they insisted upon it.  Sometimes, it’s  not worth the argument. . . sure, you could have seen a whale. . .

Charlie and Chanelle love the water, the waves, and feeling the sprays of the water hitting their face.  Our rule has always been to dive right in and Meadow was no exception.  She grabbed a hold of the wheel like she’d been the captain of a ship for the entire six months of her life.

Boating is exhausting, though, and the mark of a real boater is measured by ones ability to sleep on the water.  I’m happy to report. . .

Meadow passed with flying colors. 

Overall, we had a really good time at the Lake.  Being together truly is enough for us.  We laugh, we joke, and simply enjoy each others company with no distractions but the gentle sounds of waves hitting the boat.  What could be better than that?

While the rest of us couldn’t think of anything better, Meadow had other ideas. Apparently six month old little girls would rather be doing anything else.  We did the best to entertain her. . .

. . . but eventually she had enough.  It was time to pack up and go home. 

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I was happy to wake on Sunday morning to hugs and Happy Mother’s Day wishes from sweet little ones.  All week they asked, Can I give you your present yet?  No, I responded, I want to wait until Sunday.  So, all week their gifts remained hidden and after Chanelle finally remembered where she hid her gift I was presented with their labors of Love. . .

This was the first time I really noticed pride in their faces at the presentation of their gifts.  It was so worth the wait.  I watched as Chanelle took in all the attention and gifts that were being showered on me and it was obvious that her wheels were turning. Finally, she asked. . .when it is going to be Kid’s Day?

Chad and I responded almost in unison. . . ummm, every day is Kids Day. 

Mother’s Day was low key for us.  All I really wanted was time for us all to chill. . . together.  Of course, kids don’t really chill so we did the next best thing.  We played.

We loaded up the stroller with the two girls and Charlie climbed on his scooter and we walked a half mile up the road to the playground. I really do enjoy having the opportunity to really play with our kids.  Away from the distractions of to-do lists, I’ve found that simply being present in play is one of the greatest gifts I can give my kids. 

It’s true, though, that I often struggle to immerse myself in their play.  Pulled in every direction by both the necessary and unnecessary things on my plate, I sometimes forget to truly play.  Sunday, I remembered.  Sunday, we all played. 

We played and we played and we played until, once again, Little Sister had enough.  We trekked our way the half a mile back to our house with Meadow’s high pitched screams echoing through the streets our entire way home.  I most certainly looked deserving of the Mother of the Year award.  Like Chad said, what better way to celebrate Mother’s Day than to be a Mom?