all right, fans.
today my kids totally blew me away. my oldest is a Cub Scout, and as part of the Family Fun requirement he had to plan a family outing. he chose a hike! and i'm not saying i expected it to be horrible, but i kinda thought it would be hard to motivate the kids to keep moving the whole time, shall we say.
but those kids were superstars on the trail today! we walked 2 and a half miles, as a family (baby in a hiking backpack, switching between parents--and totally happy the whole time), and nobody really complained until we were less than half a mile from the end! we even sustained a bee-sting with nary a whine. i couldn't believe it.
the rest of the day was wonderfully peaceful and lovely, with some work in the yard, baby giggling on the swing, and then listening to Prairie Home Companion in front of the fireplace after dinner (i promise, we don't live in Stepford).
it was a good day, not because i was escaping from responsibilities that seem too large for one person, but because everything felt really good. i watched the different personalities of my children play out a little more, and just was able to enjoy being their mother. they are real people, with lots of differences and similarities with me and their dad and each other. and the firelight provided the golden glow that the norman rockwell scene needed to be complete. i'm not saying there were no harsh words spoken by anyone all day, or that each child would report this day as the best day ever; it was just one day i want to remember because i felt comfortable and right in my place in the world.
hooray for good days. :)
