Savoring

Last week's trip to the DR was planned according to our local college's Spring Break. We chose to pull the children from school because, as much as we value education, my husband and I agreed that experience far outweighed 5 days of Kindergarten.

This week was our actual Spring Break. We spent the first part of the week washing our disgustingly dirty laundry, getting much need haircuts, attending a doctor's appointment, spending an afternoon with grandparents, catching up on mail and unpacking (partially). After all that necessary 'life stuff' K, P, R and I loaded up the car for a road trip. (Poor Daddy had to work.) We made a stop in Phenix City to see all my family. Our 12 hour stop over included visits with grandparents, great-grandmother, aunt, uncle and two cousins.

Thursday morning we kept heading South and arrived at a sweet friend's beach house in Destin for a quick opportunity to put our toes in the sand before heading back to real life. My husband joined us Friday, and we enjoyed some truly sweet family time. A few hours on the beach, a few hours with friends, an hour or so of fishing and lots of time exploring. Saturday morning we even got to witness the cool rescue of this amazing owl. (He was stranded on a windowsill.) K kept asking me if we were going to be on Animal Planet. With two and a half straight weeks of time with my children, I couldn't help but notice how much they are growing up. My husband and I are finally starting to feel like we are hitting the 'golden years' of childhood we've heard so much about. We can finish conversations (sometimes) and are increasingly able to step back and enjoy them instead of feeling like it is all we can do to divide and conquer on the 'work.'We might actually even have pictures together more often since the children learned to snap a few of us together this weekend!We all still have our issues (we, definitely includes me) but I am really enjoying my people in a new way. Their questions, their tenderness, their observations, their problem solving, their corny jokes. These are bright, funny, enjoyable little people.They are loud, silly, full of life and laughter--and I am doing my best to savor these moments.This is a very good age and phase.