Because of the way our schedules work out, Aaron and I usually don't get a lot of time to be together with the kids and even when we do have an opportunity I usually let Aaron use the time to decompress and have some peace alone at home while I keep the kids occupied. It's something he needs for himself and so that he can be at his best when he's with the kids.
BUT every now and then we do get a day together and last week we had one of those days. I was so excited when Aaron told me he didn't have any obligations for the entire weekend so he wanted to spend that Saturday with me and the kids.
The first thing we did was get the house nice and tidy so that our minds could be free of To Dos!
Once the work was done we took the kids to the field in our community and Aaron practiced baseball techniques with the boys...we still need a little work.
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| Excited to be on the boat! |
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| One of our Crane friends (there's also a white one living on our lake) |
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| Chillin' |
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| So ready for a nap |
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| I wish I didn't look like that, but isn't Ava so precious?! |
After the boat ride we picked up popcorn from the office and then went for a little hike so Aaron could get a few interval runs in before we went to dinner.
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| Watching daddy run hills |
On the walk back home Aaron bumped into a man and his daughter who looked like they were also doing cross country training, so Aaron stopped for a chat (of course) while I walked the kids back and got them freshened up and loaded in the car.
The kids hadn't napped, but we were headed to dinner, fun and ice cream a few towns over so I knew the kids would get a decent nap in the car. They fell asleep immediately and got a good 45-ish minute nap.
We had pizza at our favorite pizza place and then the kids played, rode the train and Mac had his first solo carousel ride.
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| Aaron and I exchanged weepy stares while this guy rode the first carousel he ever rode, all by himself for the first time! |
After the carousel we grabbed ice cream at the parlor and then sat and talked about our day. Mac said his favorite part of the day was doing all the "stuff with his family."
When it was my turn to share my favorite part I reminded them of a moment from earlier in the day:
As we walked out the door to play baseball the boys each had a yogurt. Aaron asked me for one. I told him we had none left and offered him a string cheese. He took it and asked Mac to trade for his yogurt. Mac had been asking me for yogurt all morning, so I didn't expect him to willingly trade. He thought about it for a second and then handed his yogurt over to Aaron.
I was so proud of. I told him how much I know he wanted that yogurt and how happy I was that he was willing to give it to someone else to make them happy.
After that, Aaron handed it back to him and told him he was proud too. Mac then fell into sobs. He said he really wanted his daddy to have it, but that he also wanted it. His poor little heart was so conflicted, it was the sweetest thing. Aaron assured him he'd be happiest if he knew Mac got to enjoy it and so he did.
That was my favorite part of the day. There's no doubt this boy is turning into the kid/person we hoped he would.
To round out the day we let Mac play a little longer. He fell off the merry-go-round twice, but continued to get back on. This would not have been the case before. I can't believe how mature he is now.
Life with 3 kids can be consumed with responsibilities and with that, struggle of all sorts. It's not every day we get to let loose like this. When we are in the thick of things, I like to remember these times and know that all of our effort is worth it and be reminded of how good our life is.
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