Breath

Last Sunday night, I help my breath and watched my love leave us for all of this past week.  That night  the girls were especially energetic and I realized that I was going to have to have a plan to make it all week with out him.  So each day, I planned an activity to pass the time until we were reunited with him again.  It must be said that doing any activity with children takes just a little more energy than it would by yourself.  Doing it every day for a whole week had me cheering myself on every night before bed "self you can do it, the busier you are, the faster he'll come home!"

Monday, we had a special web chat with our friends the Herrenbrucks.  What happened after that I don't know. I have 0 recollection of what we did after that.  All I know is that we went small group that evening and were out quite late.

Tuesday, we went into the city to play.  We played at Cartwheels and Coffee, hit a consignment store, than shared a couple slices of pizza and a box of raisins for lunch. That night we rented a movie and stayed up quite late watching it.

Wednesday,  I tossed the wagon into the back of the car packed with beach towels and sun block and took the girls to the beach for the day.  Let me just pause here and say  that Libby and Maggie love treat days.  They get excited in a squealing and giggling sort of a way.  I love that kind of excited, it's my favorite kind.

 They ran back and forth from our beach blanket to the shore line about a million times, each time with treasures to show me.  Libby would say things like "Oh Mommy, look at this beautiful shell, it's so brown and color-flee."  Then Maggie would follow behind her and show me the shell that she had found then drop it on the ground so she could run back and catch up with her sister.

I promised them that when we left we would stop somewhere for a  treat (the theme word of the week).  I found a pretty outdoor mall that had a frozen yogurt place, plus live music.  I planned to get the yogurt and get on the road to head home, but the little girls heard the music and started dancing and I couldn't make them leave.  To be honest I couldn't make myself leave.  It felt like summer and I loved watching them dance and laugh and play.  For the record the leader of the band wore a straw cowboy hat and had long brown hair and beard.  Libby looked at him then cocked her head to the side and said, "Mommy, you see that man with the cowboy hat?  He looks like Captain Hook." Man, I love that little girl.

We pulled in the driveway just as the sun went down, and yet again I didn't get them to bed until quite late.
Thursday, we had a play date with friends and I had to go  to church to work on a project.  A little known fact on this blog is that every other Thursday night, this Mama gets a night off to go to church to help with a group for single moms. No Daddy here to watch the girls for me meant that the girls came with me this week, which was in fact a "treat" for the Little b/c she asks every week if she can come with me.  However, this too meant that for the 4th night in a row they were getting in bed quite late again.

 Friday, we headed south to place we have never been.  A friend of mine planned a play date at a  strawberry patch.  I have never attempted a trip like this with  both girls, but I'm so happy that we went.  As soon as the girls saw the lovely red berries growing abundantly in the field, they started eating them.

We stayed well passed any of the other pickers and the farmer offered us our own private hayride.  I think that he was charmed by my Littlest and her sweetness...as most people rightly are.

On our way home the Little said "Mommy, I wish that Daddy could pick strawberries with us, I wish that he wasn't in Atlanta."  She loves him so and misses him when he is away from us.
That night we had dinner with friends...and yes, I got them to bed quite late.
This morning I knew we were in need of a quiet morning, so I decided to let them run wild in the back while I wrote this blog.  Every time I sat down to write, disaster struck and I was needed to save the save the day.  I  looked at the clock and realized that I was going to watch it until Kev got home.  I kept saying "you can make it Mama, just a little longer." At that moment Libby was in her third time out on the step, Maggie was crying, and Gus was barking.  I grabbed the keys and the kids and put them in car and headed to the airport.  I remembered thinking last year that an airport was great place to let kids play:)

 I know that they ran to him when they saw him, but all I can really remember was that I felt like  I was holding my breath all week waiting for him to come home and when I saw him I could breath again....For as long as I can remember whenever he and I have been apart, when he finally comes back to me I always say "promise me that you'll never leave me again."  I know he probably will have to leave again, but I've said it for so long, that it feels like part of our greeting now.

Libby was determine that the strawberries we picked were to make her Daddy a pie.  So make a pie we did post nap time today.  She said "Mommy, this pie is going to make Daddy the biggest smile."  We had a picnic dinner on the living room floor while we watched a movie, and of course, we had strawberry pie for dessert.
Libby leaned over to Kev and put her hand on his arm and said "do-ya like your pie Daddy, I made it cause I missed you."  I swear I didn't make that last part up.  It was as priceless as it sounds.

I was so afraid of this week, but it was irreplaceable.  While I would much rather have Kev here with me everyday, I loved this week I spent with the girls...We made memories, and memories, my friend, our worth it  even if it meant a weeks worth of late bed time (including tonight).

Grace and Peace
xoxo