So Simple, I Could Sit Forever. Kris and I don't often get a Date Night out with out the kids. Lately with everything going on it happens about once a year. Normally we are all over the place with the kids activities that when we are home we are content and don't really need to go out, but for my birthday we went out to dinner by ourselves. At first it was kind of surreal but just sitting there enjoying each others company staring out at the lake was so wonderfully relaxing. Something so simple sure can do wonders.
1 Comment
I have to be honest...at this point in our move I didn't think I would be calling it a move anymore. I thought we would be in our house and beginning to settle down and preparing for school to start. All those blissful housewife images of quietly sleeping children being woken by the smell of homemade pancakes and syrup on a finely tuned schedule. Instead we are living on the edge of insanity. I mean that in the most fun loving but so over it kind of way. We love having the time to go to the lake, to fish, to stay up late and not care about when we wake up, of not having a schedule of any kind. We also love the extra time everyone is getting with dad since he started his leave. We've made a lot of memories this summer but many times I feel that they are going to be overshadowed by the constant state of chaos we are in. So as we begin our 12th week of homelessness imagine living out of a trailer with what all the possessions we thought would get us by... . Sleeping who knows where. Sometimes piled 4 in a bed, sometimes on the floor, sometimes on the couch. {yes that is a little leg napping there you see sticking out}... Not being able to find a thing even though it seems like we barely have anything. Frantically searching for papers we desperately need, shoes we some how lost, or a swimsuit oneof the kids just has to wear... It looks like a place of a hoarder but in fact it is just us Miller's trying to stay organized and survive until we again have a place we call home.
Spinning and twirling till you are so dizzy you could be sick. Whipping around and around until you finally can't hold on any longer and come tumbling off. This week we headed over and had lunch with Kris's Grandma Miller, which is the kids Great Grandma. She lives in a small country town tucked away in the middle of MN and a place Kris spent so many of his younger years. We met up with her in a small hometown diner, you know the kind where everyone knows everyone and has to stop and chat. The kind that looks at newbies as an oddity. This is so foreign to me, I grew up in the city and really have never left the city even with all our moves and transfers. Kris has a lot of nostalgia in that little community and I love listening to the stories of him going through town, or in his Grandpa's hardware store, or out on his grandparents farm. It's such a different fascinating world to me I can't help but picture it in my mind as he describes it. After we had lunch and visited with his grandma we took the kids over to a little park by the river to run off some steam. To say that the park is a throw back in time is an under statement. They have almost everything you don't see around anymore...old fashion rocking horse swings, a 15 foot slide, and the old metal merry-go-rounds! When the kids find those old fashion merry-go-rounds their eyes sparkle with awe. They spun and spun till they were sick only slowing down to get rid of that dizzy feeling then they were back at it again whipping and twirling around until they couldn't hold on anymore and were flung off. Kris and I even got in on the fun and were laughing right along with the kids. We didn't leave unscathed though. Derrick got a big hole in his knee when they hit the ground while he was holding on for dear life. Alexis jumped off to save herself from being flung off and ended up gouging her foot opening and I crushed my shine up against the metal trying to get on while it was moving. Luckily the littlest ones were spared injury! It was all worth it though...when you look at how fun everything looks how can you resist? So many times in a day my family hears from me, "can't you just get along?" or "be nice!" It seems like a never ending revolving door of fights, battles, and all around disagreements. Between the older kids, between the younger kids, between the kids and me, or the kids and Dad there is always something. Most days I get to the point that I need a time-out.
This was until just yesterday I witnessed a rare site...all my kids playing together and GETTING ALONG!! We headed out to the beach for a swim and some fishing. I was actually pretty worried when we left because it was around nap time and really you just never know if things will go good or horribly horribly wrong. Once one starts in on the whining and fighting there is a quick domino effect. Something fun can quickly turn into something we NEVER want to do again. It was such a gorgeous day; breezy, the sun was out but not hot and humid like it has been. We managed to drive all the way there without anyone falling asleep which is an accomplishment in itself! The kids helped drag the swimming gear, sand toys, fishing gear, and lunch supplies down to the water and then they just started playing. We played with them in and out but we were able to just sit there at the lakes edge and watch while they played TOGETHER! We took a break for lunch and everyone just seemed happy and content {no fighting}. They ate their sandwiches and just talked! All day they were back and forth on a little round floatie just floating around in the water, but after they were done eating lunch they all floated around together talking and bobbing in the water. It was a priceless site to see! |