i'm so glad i didn't miss this ...

At Christmas this past year, Curt played a movie he'd put together of videos he taped throughout the year. A sad realization came over me as I watched it ... I wasn't with during any of the moments that were taped.

They'd been trips he'd taken up here, at the lake. Moments on their little camping adventures and hikes in the yard. Waterparks when I was busy. Moment's I'd missed out on.

But not this time.

I've had an amazing weekend with my family and I'm so glad I didn't miss it. First off ... CJ cooked every meal ... and cleaned up afterwards! He'd shoo me out of the kitchen and I'd spend time with the girls.

And then there's spending time with the girls. Snuggled up watching a movie. Connect Four with Hunter. Apples to Apples with Taylor and Ana. Constant amazement at how big Hunter is getting. And you know that secret glance you give your hubby when no one else in the world's hearts are swelled with love as large as yours, over something your child just did ... I had many of those glances with CJ this weekend.

And I marvel at how great it is to not be consumed with 'busyness' so that I'm able to connect with my hubby through a glance.

Granted, I've logged some computer time as well. I've been working on editing the last maternity session I did ... and I'm excited to share some with you soon.

But back to our weekend ... CJ took the girls out snowmobiling. I'm embarrassed to say, in the past, I usually stay in the house {most likely napping, or locked to my computer}, but not this time. Things are a changin' I tell you!

So he's got a toboggan hooked up to the back of the snowmobile {and today, a small sled to the back of the toboggan} and we took the girls {and dogs} around and around the long driveway circle.

I sat backwards on the snowmobile smiling from ear-to-ear. The girls were having the times of their lives. Even little Huntie. Even miss teenager and friend!

We took Taylor & Ana out onto the golf course {shhh ...}. Curt does not take it easy on them. His ultimate challenge and joy is to whip them off that toboggan. It took a lot of effort, but he finally managed it a few times.

We're packing up to head home soon. Back to the grind, back to the everyday.

My prayer is to remember the feeling in my heart right now and strive for that in the midst of the tempting 'busyness' jungle.

a weekend with friends

This is has been my view all weekend.  Peaceful, no?  Even though we were in the midst of a deep freeze ... I'm talking 20 below zero ... before the windchill!

I'm blessed to have access to a beautiful place in northern wisconsin where I holed up with my girlfriends for a much needed girly-girl weekend.  Our husbands absolutely did. not. understand what we were doing.  What could we possibly be doing?

Did you go outside?  Did you snowmobile?  Go for a walk?  What then?  What did you do?

"You talked?"  "About what?"

Men don't understand, do they?

We were literally in our jammies the entire weekend.  We joked that we played musical chairs ... we moved from this chair, to that chair, to the sofa, to the chair ... and we listened to music.

We played games, we read, we facebooked, we talked ... about every topic under the sun {I'll spare you the details}.  Isn't it awesome to have a group of ladies you can go away with, and feel complete peace with?  We didn't need to do anything.  We didn't want to do anything.

Oh!  Wait!  I failed to mention ... we ate.  We ate, and we ate, and we ate ... and none of us will need to eat for a week.  Honest.

I am blessed to have these ladies in my life.  Thank you friends.

And, as always ... as great as it is to get away, it's even greater to return.  I am so in love with my family.  With us being at Mayo, I hadn't seen the girls since Tuesday night.  Is it not the greatest feeling in the world to feel the love of a child who hasn't seen you in almost a week?

Pure excitement.  Little arms wrapped tightly around your legs ... coming at me from every direction.  Even Taylor came running when she saw me, "mommy!" ... can I ask for anything more from a thirteen year old?  Sigh.

As I was sitting with the girls tonight watching TV before bed, I studied each of them and wanted to record each memory.  Every single detail ...

Wynter needed my scarf the minute I walked in the door ... she wrapped it around her neck like she was the Red Barron and added a matching headband to complete her ensemble.  She's such a tactile little creature ... she's loving, touching, squeezing, smelling.  Yeah ... she smells me.

Piper has strep right now ... she's such a sick little girl.  So she's laying on me, all stuffed up which means she needs to breath out of her mouth ... that really awesome infectious-dragon-breath-that-only-a-mother-could-love smell ...

And then little Hunter ... who's somehow grown up so fast.  She's potty trained now.  I didn't want to potty train her.  Not because I didn't want to do the work.  But because I want her to be a baby ... forever ... and ever.  Is that wrong?  Anyway.  She sees Piper laying with me, so she comes over and tries to squeeze in too.  My 'baby' in her silky, summer pajama dress {that she insisted on wearing} with red polka dotted Christmas pj bottoms and her sister's hand-me-down pink Uggs, that she thinks are slippers.

And then of course there's miss teenager.  I love her so.  Every complicated, moody, emotional, temperamental, sulky ounce of her.  We just finished watching The Bachelor {gotta love DVR} and as we're sitting there I'm realizing just how quickly this little girl has grown up ... and even better ... just how cool she really is.

I am blessed.