Cabin 2010, A Look Back…

 

We’re at the cabin right now, & as always it’s a great time. No internet (I’ll have to post this when I get back), limited phone service, no TV….. it’s nice to leave the world behind sometimes.

Sitting here, it’s made me think of the early years when JaJa was a baby & we would bring him here. Or even when we would come here before we had kids & see everyone else’s little ones running around & being glad & we didn’t have any of our own. Now most of them are teenagers & it’s our turn to create those special memories with our little ones.

Before we came here, I’m ashamed to admit that I really had a bad attitude about being here. I kept dreading the packing & food shopping & the cooking of the food. Ugh! Just the thought was exhausting me! I just kept thinking about all the work that goes into coming here.

But then we get here & I remember why we come here. To re-connect. This summer has been CRAZY with moving & everything else so it’s nice to sloooowww down for a minute or 2.

I think of the things they’ll remember when they grow up. Going to the dam, seeing shows at the Playmill, driving through Yellowstone, Eating pizza at West, Catching minnows at Mack’s Inn, buying candy at Pond’s Lodge, looking at the fish at Big Springs, going to the Waterfall, watching their dad fly fish at the Buffalo River, playing in the woods, endless talks at bedtime & picking new Yellowstone shirts. We do this EVERY year & as monotonous as it may sound, they look forward to it. The sad day will be when they no longer want to do these things. I pray they never outgrow it.

So for now, we’ll continue enjoying these moments & adding to their memories.

Phases of Life

It seems that throughout our marriage we have gone through many different phases.

Before kids, we ALWAYS grocery shopped together, went to the temple twice a month & were ALWAYS  together. Christmas was a chance to spoil each other & taking trips was easy. We had 4 glorious years of that.

When we started having children things began to change. Groceries were done by me & the kids, going to the temple went from once a month when we had one child to once every 3 months after having 3 kids. Christmas was about our kids & trips had to be planned out.

My days consisted of naps & doing everything under the sun to keep the kids busy & me sane. Like every other overwhelmed mother, I had many days where I just sat & cried, feeling hopeless. 

I looked forward to having a date night or a girl’s night out. I started taking trips by myself every other year, to get away from the chaos. Trips without the kids were a necessity. I loved it  when Culligula would surprise me with a trip to the spa or to the mall by myself.  I felt like I was in constant escape mode. Whether it was going out, watching TV or napping. I was constantly looking for a break.

The last couple of months Culligula  & I have noticed that we are  now entering into a different phase. A phase that I’m still trying to understand & wrap my head around.

This summer it is once again my turn to take a trip by myself but instead I have chosen to share it with my family. I’m also going to Vegas with my sisters in February & all  I can think about is how quickly I can get home to my family. I’ve lost interest in shopping trips to the mall by myself. In fact, I want my kids to go grocery shopping with me. Basically, it is very rare that I want to do anything without my kids or husband.

This weekend is a perfect example of how we prefer to spend our time these days. On Saturday, we went to the Car Show & then out to dinner. Today, Culligula offered to watch the kids so I could go to the mall by myself. After a family vote, everyone decided we would all go & they would just hang out at the Planetarium until I was done. We then went out to dinner & just talked. Those are the moments that we both value above anything else.

Now don’t get me wrong, my family isn’t perfect. My boys fight & cry at least 8 times a day. They don’t put things away & they pee on the toilet. They don’t always listen when they’re asked to do something & getting them together to read scriptures every night well, let’s just say I’d rather poke my eyes out.

For right now, we are  really enjoying this phase of life. Sleeping in on weekends, playing games with the kids that I actually like, staying out late with the kids &  vacations without play pens & formula.  We are realizing that this time is precious & it won’t last forever. We don’t want to look back & wish that we would have done it differently.  Therefore, we are choosing to make the most of  it. One day, they will have their own things going on & I can return to the mall by myself & grocery shopping with Culligula .

Simple Pleasures

Ritz crackers & peanut butter. Yumm!