I know. It's amazing.
Simply amazing how time flies...
:)
Friday, October 28, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Regarding "Obli-cations"
DH answered the salesman's questions while I bounced Little Dude on my knees. We were just launching into our 90 minute presentation on "owning a piece of paradise"... just to get some free nights at Great Wolf Lodge for our peanuts.
Yes, we are nuts. And NO. We will NEVER do that again. (because it took 3 hours... no joke. Ugh.)
Anyway... I was soundly ignoring Mr. Greasy-dude and concentrating on Mr. Cutie-Pie Little Dude when suddenly the Greasy Dude said something truly maddening. He dismissed our family vacations as OBLI-CATIONS. As in, we are OBLIGATED to go VACATION with FAMILY.
Oh, horrors.
This guy was pitching water parks and sandy beaches just hours away. Horseback rides and canoe trips, fully stocked kitchens and family time in a condo that is 1/3 the size of my house.
This guy didn't have a bloody clue what he was talking about.
Your poor kids, he said. Never went on a real vacation.
Excuse me?
No really. Are you serious, buddy? I almost spit my free coffee at him.
Our poor kids have seen more and done more than I ever did at their age. We have carted them through most of the U.S. -west of the Mississippi, and all courtesy of... family, and our horrific OBLI-CATIONS.
Hot Springs, skiing, Aquarium, Castle-hopping, sledding... all in Colorado.
The ocean, In-and-Out, Disneyland... in California.
Farms, friends, horses, goats... in Wisconsin.
Our amazing trip to CANADA this summer...kayaking, playing with cousins, jet-skiing, 4-wheeling, water parks, picnics, bon-fires, oh my gosh.... so much fun!
We are so lucky to have generous family and friends who live in such amazingly beautiful places, and encourage us to visit often.
Our kids come away from every single trip with about a billion stories to tell. And they tell them for years.
Every place we visit is filled with people who love the kids, who play with them and listen to them. They connect because we are family. And it is a joy to be with family.
When I picked the 3 kids up from school and explained where we had been all morning, they were indignant at the way Greasy Dude described our vacations. (Action Man very helpfully offered to go punch him in the face.) And they all wanted to go back and tell him exactly why he was so very wrong to make fun of our family vacations.
It was heartening to hear them jump to defend what we hold dear. And while I'm sure that someday we will be able to grab a week on the beach with "just us"... I'm happy to know that our crazy family road trips are carving out real memories.
And, yeah... we'll take a rain-check on owning a bit of paradise.
Without all of our family around, it sounds kinda boring to us.
:)
Yes, we are nuts. And NO. We will NEVER do that again. (because it took 3 hours... no joke. Ugh.)
Anyway... I was soundly ignoring Mr. Greasy-dude and concentrating on Mr. Cutie-Pie Little Dude when suddenly the Greasy Dude said something truly maddening. He dismissed our family vacations as OBLI-CATIONS. As in, we are OBLIGATED to go VACATION with FAMILY.
Oh, horrors.
This guy was pitching water parks and sandy beaches just hours away. Horseback rides and canoe trips, fully stocked kitchens and family time in a condo that is 1/3 the size of my house.
This guy didn't have a bloody clue what he was talking about.
Your poor kids, he said. Never went on a real vacation.
Excuse me?
No really. Are you serious, buddy? I almost spit my free coffee at him.
Our poor kids have seen more and done more than I ever did at their age. We have carted them through most of the U.S. -west of the Mississippi, and all courtesy of... family, and our horrific OBLI-CATIONS.
Hot Springs, skiing, Aquarium, Castle-hopping, sledding... all in Colorado.
The ocean, In-and-Out, Disneyland... in California.
Farms, friends, horses, goats... in Wisconsin.
Our amazing trip to CANADA this summer...kayaking, playing with cousins, jet-skiing, 4-wheeling, water parks, picnics, bon-fires, oh my gosh.... so much fun!
We are so lucky to have generous family and friends who live in such amazingly beautiful places, and encourage us to visit often.
Our kids come away from every single trip with about a billion stories to tell. And they tell them for years.
Every place we visit is filled with people who love the kids, who play with them and listen to them. They connect because we are family. And it is a joy to be with family.
When I picked the 3 kids up from school and explained where we had been all morning, they were indignant at the way Greasy Dude described our vacations. (Action Man very helpfully offered to go punch him in the face.) And they all wanted to go back and tell him exactly why he was so very wrong to make fun of our family vacations.
It was heartening to hear them jump to defend what we hold dear. And while I'm sure that someday we will be able to grab a week on the beach with "just us"... I'm happy to know that our crazy family road trips are carving out real memories.
And, yeah... we'll take a rain-check on owning a bit of paradise.
Without all of our family around, it sounds kinda boring to us.
:)
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Winter's Debut
I'm wearing my summer uniform. Khaki shorts and cowl-neck sleeveless shirt. My crocs are well-worn, and my feet betray their roughness. Too much exposure, too much sun... freckles abound on my skin.
It's been summer forever.
I hear the kids running around outside. The breeze has shifted today, ever so slowly, ever so subtly. And now, at 7pm, there is a distinct chill in the air.
Little Dude toddles outside in his bare feet. Chubby legs take him all over the driveway, halting at the thick grass. He listens to the whoops from the backyard... eager to join in, unsure how. He reaches back for my hand, confident that I will be there. Off we go, tromping through the grass to join the fun.
This is our last hurrah of summer. Homework has been shelved for this one final jaunt. Pretty soon the darkness and the cold air will keep us in. Our temperature is expected to drop 30 degrees overnight tonight, and a chill steady rain will fall all day tomorrow. Our nighttime romps will be replaced by fire-lit nights filled with hot tea. No more will the boys try to outrun the girls, evading capture in the twilight. The games will move to the warmth of rug and hearth. Of hot cocoa and popcorn. Of games and stories.
But tonight, the night is theirs. And they shout and run and breathe the summer air.
One last long breath.
:)
It's been summer forever.
I hear the kids running around outside. The breeze has shifted today, ever so slowly, ever so subtly. And now, at 7pm, there is a distinct chill in the air.
Little Dude toddles outside in his bare feet. Chubby legs take him all over the driveway, halting at the thick grass. He listens to the whoops from the backyard... eager to join in, unsure how. He reaches back for my hand, confident that I will be there. Off we go, tromping through the grass to join the fun.
This is our last hurrah of summer. Homework has been shelved for this one final jaunt. Pretty soon the darkness and the cold air will keep us in. Our temperature is expected to drop 30 degrees overnight tonight, and a chill steady rain will fall all day tomorrow. Our nighttime romps will be replaced by fire-lit nights filled with hot tea. No more will the boys try to outrun the girls, evading capture in the twilight. The games will move to the warmth of rug and hearth. Of hot cocoa and popcorn. Of games and stories.
But tonight, the night is theirs. And they shout and run and breathe the summer air.
One last long breath.
:)
Monday, October 03, 2011
On My Mind
The person who thinks only of himself says only prayers of petition; the person who thinks of his neighbor says prayers of intercession; whoever thinks only of loving and serving God says prayers of abandonment to God's will, and this is the prayer of the saints.
~Fulton Sheen
Saturday, October 01, 2011
Dilemma
Little Boo, on "What she wants to be when she grows up"
It's so hard to decide, mom.
And I only have two choices!
When I'm at school, I think I want to be a nun.
But when I'm playing soccer?
I'm pretty sure I want to be a rock star.
:)
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