We decided officially yesterday to pack up our kids and take a special family trip back to Waskesiu, just for the day. I know I couldn’t have survived a much longer day away than that, but I knew that the fresh lake air would be good for my soul. Plus, the big playground and the ice cream would make my kids so so happy. We didn’t tell the kids about our plan, but they picked up on the upcoming surprise, and sure enough, when we got them up this morning, they had figured out that we were going to the lake. Buncha smarties.
We picked up breakfast on the way out of town, and had the nicest drive up to the lake. No one complained or asked about timelines. We expect some of that, but were pleasantly surprised that the kids seemed completely content to just sit this morning and watch the world go by. When we finally turned off the highway and towards the park, Dekker recognized the corner and got everyone excited that we were almost there. They were so happy!
Being that its literally the last week before school starts up again, I expected a fairly packed place, with everyone getting in their last taste of the lake. Once again, we were pleasantly surprised when it was so nice and quiet. Brady and I could easily sit down while Solly shuffled around the bench, and watch the other three run around the playground. Eventually Brady walked with the kids to the water’s edge and they tossed rocks into the waves. They did that for SO long. I could’ve joined, but I sat with Solly and just took that break. After a while, the kids made it back to the playground and I wandered my way to the water. I sat for a bit, just listening to the waves that the strong winds were producing. I doodled the names of my little angel boys in the sand, and then had a good cry as they washed away. I knew it was bound to happen, but I wasn’t ready, which kind of makes sense. I wasn’t ready ten days ago either.
We finally left the playground and headed for lunch around 1:00 ish. A sweet little girl had befriended Rowan and was giving him an AMAZING amount of attention, hauling him in and out of the little kid swings, taking him from play structure to play structure, back to the swings, all the while with her hand on his back or pointing him in the right direction. She was so good to him, and he was not convinced when it was time to go. When he did give in, he came over and told me all about Emma, who “swinged” him. He loved her. It was a definite high point.
We went to one of the restaurants for lunch, and because it was clear we wouldn’t be in town into the evening, we went straight from lunch to ice cream, which the kids were more than thrilled about. They all picked the brightest, most obnoxious ice cream they could find. Solly, who would not buy into my chocolate peanut butter ice cream during our vacation earlier this month, he loved my NY cherry cheesecake ice cream. Brady rolled with a double scoop of dutch chocolate. A win for everyone, for sure.
We ventured out for a short walk after our treat, and found a place to take a family selfie. I’m not sure why that was so important to me, but I felt like we needed a fresh picture of us, just as we are, where we are. The funny face ones turned out the best, but you probably guessed that already. The photos are taking simply forever to load up here, so I’ll save those for tomorrow. Might even put one as a new blog header. I keep waiting to change it when we can add another baby to it, but that just keeps not happening, and we need a new picture so badly.
Instead of waiting for the kids to melt into a puddle of overtired tears, we decided to leave mid-afternoon. We knew they would all sleep on the way home, and if we could make that happen earlier in the day than riiight before bedtime, it would work out better in the long run. So we did. They slept a chunk of the way home, but not too much, and they’re now having some light snacks for supper before they’ll go to bed, not too much later than their usual bedtime.
I’m calling today a great success. I got to sit and breathe, sometimes alone and sometimes with a loving family member or two. The kids got to run and be around lots of happy, playful people. We got to drive and listen to music and just rest. Brady and I got to hold hands. It was refreshing.
We have so many beautiful pictures, but I’ll try to upload a post of pictures in the next day or two. The kids just love it there so much. I swear, if it wasn’t so close to school starting up, we’d probably try to book another short vacation there all together. But home is good too. <3 I’m so thankful for the home and community we have.