We had a stay around the house day for the first half. Homemade waffles, eggs, bacon and orange juice. The kids had some TV time and then said they didn't want to watch TV anymore. Yes. They. Did. Instead they got into costumes and just played. Like kids do sometimes. The imagination stuff where one is a doctor or a dancer or a race car driver. And they played well together.
Clark needed a haircut so he and Daddy headed out for some "boy time" while I was home with the girls. They wanted "ballet music" so I put in a CD with classical music and then they asked for me to be their ballet teacher. I don't remember much since I was 6 when I took ballet lessons, but we have a book so we referred to it and did some stretching, practiced first through fifth position and they wanted to do some tippy toe moves as well. They love to do "ballet hands" and I love to watch them move in the graceful way that four-going-on-five year olds move. It was a treat. Kendall got out a couple of stuffed animals and set up mats as seating for them to watch the show.
Daddy and Clark returned home and everyone was ready for a trip to the park, but it was after 1p, so naps were threatened. We decided to offer skipping naps in order to make the most of the afternoon and the sunshine. We had a quick lunch and headed to McFee Park in Farragut because it offers a great play area with absolutely no shade on it and that is exactly what we needed on a cool day.
Unfortunately, it was not as sunny as I had hoped, but the kids had fun. And we did too. We took a walk around the whole park and gave each the opportunity to be the "line leader" which turned out to be a really big deal. Daddy found them each their own walking stick and we were on our way. I even incorporated some Operation Boot Camp-Knoxville moves in our walk with skipping, going sideways, walking backwards, etc.
Clark and Daddy decided they needed more boy exploration time and the girls wanted to get back to the playground. Emma found a new friend and they played tag, ran around and then collapsed on a bench. Kendall played "pirate girl" at the top of the slide but told me that I wasn't playing it right when I said "arrrrh, matey!"
We haven't taken the kids out to dinner very often in the last few months, except for McDonalds or ChickFilA. For some reason, we decided to check out Mr. Gatti's in Turkey Creek. I have never been there nor had the kids and we figured we would try it out since I had a good coupon. I won't give it super high marks on the food, but it was pleasant, kid-friendly and we all left with full bellies.
Normally Saturday is popcorn and movie night. Once the kids were bathed, they headed downstairs and Daddy helped them find something short. We all snuggled on the couch under blankets and watched a quick show before coming back upstairs to tuck them in for the night. They were all almost asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows. Success!
Nope. It wasn't some big exciting adventure. We didn't win the lottery. And we didn't spend a lot of money. But we had time together as a family and it went smoothly. It's been a challenging week at home, so I welcomed these moments and I really cherish them. God reminded me of what it is I am supposed to be doing here on this earth. I am their mom and I need to be here for them and really WITH them. It was a very good day. Thank you God for this day.
