R & R at Sunset Beach

What a great week at the beach! The kids and I left on Saturday, Oct 10th, and flew from OKC to North Carolina. Yes, I flew solo with 2 kids and we did fine. It's amazing how accomodating people are when they see you with 2 preschoolers coming their way on the airplane. Anyway, Greg had to stay in OKC until Wednesday night to work, then he flew to NC after school late Wednesday night.

First of all, Caleb and McKenna were super-excited about the beach, the ocean, finding sea shells, and seeing their cousins from Arizona (pic on the left). The five of them had soooo much fun at the beach together. We played mini-golf, jumped waves in the ocean, built sand castles, buried everyone in the sand, and I taught them how to 'ride a wave.' We also had fun riding bikes on the beach one day and three of the kids made it all the way to the end of Sunset Beach--Bird Island (picture above).

In addition to the Arizona cousins, Mimi, Papa, Aunt Melissa and Uncle Rob were also at the beach. It was so fun to hang out with the whole family, play at the beach, and eat dinner together every night. The kids call Sunset Beach "Mimi's beach" because we stay at Mimi's beach house. It's really cute because they'll ask me questions like, "Are there jelly fish at Mimi's beach?"

Several times, we spotted dolphins just off shore, feeding. It was usually in the late afternoon. A couple of times, the dolphins gave us a little show by jumping up out of the water. How cool is that??

Thursday was the first full day at the beach with daddy. It was a little less warm that day, but still warm enough to get in the ocean and play! Surprisingly, even when the weather was a bit cooler (upper 60s), the ocean still felt warm--almost like a warm bath. Greg and the kids worked hard building a sand castle (nothing grand) and forming a large moat around it to protect it from high tide. However, it eventually fell victim to the waves....

The week was relaxing and fun for all of us...just what we needed. When I look at the beauty of the ocean, the waves, perfectly formed sea shells and sand dollars, and the beautiful colors in the sky, it reminds me how awesome God is! He created every intricate detail and He made it to share with us. The beach is definitely one of my favorite places to refresh. I am so glad that my children have the chance to see God's creation beyond our little corner of the world. It is an experience they will never forget.

It's In The Little Things

I've never been one to think life was like the movies. I'm a realist. I know that real people don't get 500 roses delivered to them at work, and they don't go on trips to exotic locations every few months. So many times in movies, love is portrayed as being the 'grand gestures.' But I know it is really all the little things that happen every day that really display love.

Greg is one that doesn't always verbalize feelings well, but he gets the 'little things mean a lot' concept. Here's an example of some of the things that seem little, but are his grand gestures of love: cutting a rose off our rose bushes and bringing it in for me, taking our kids to a birthday party while I'm at work, going to work every day, cleaning up the kitchen after dinner every night, scooping up the kids in his arms and kissing them all over their cheeks, making sure the car and truck are always filled with gas, taking out the trash (I never have to ask him to do this), doing laundry, sitting at soccer practice on a Saturday morning, packing lunch for me when I'm going to work, saying "I love you," at the end of every phone conversation we have, calling my granny to see how she and granddaddy are doing, picking out gifts for the kids' birthday, holding me when I've had a day and just need to cry...

Yes, these things all may seem small and insignificant alone, but when added up together, they are the grand gestures of love that show our family how much we mean to Greg. It's in the little things of daily life that you can tell where someone's priorities lie. I am so blessed that Greg's priorities are with his family. I'm the luckiest woman on earth, and I love my husband dearly.

Last Thursday was the first day of pre-k for Caleb & McKenna. They were super-excited and ready to go to school! Our school supplies and backpacks had been purchased in July, our first day of school outfits and new shoes were laid out the night before. And as the day drew near, my anxiety increased. This seemed a little odd to me since our children go to an in-home daycare 3 days a week, and have done so since they were 2 years old. But, school seemed different somehow. I think it was more of a defining moment in their lives more than the fact they would not be at home with me all day.

There will be some changes. No more mornings in which I can just have the kids crawl into bed with me and watch Curious George, while I catch a few more minutes of sleep. No more spur of the moment field trips for the day. No more staying in pajamas for 4 hours if we don't want to change clothes. School is definitely a life-changing and schedule-changing event. I realize it's 'just pre-k.' The kids are gone for all of 2 hours and 40 minutes, then I pick them up and we resume our day at 10:50am. It's just the thought that this is the first year, which will be followed by ONLY 12 more years before my children are young adults, going off to college!! I know I'm jumping way ahead of myself, but see where the thoughts start going...

As it turns out, the first day of pre-k is not all that bad, mostly because it is also parent orientation. So, day 2 is really the test. Here's a recount of the day's events. Day 2 of pre-k: I drive to the school, park, and walk the kids into the school building, up the stairs and down the long hallway to their pre-k classrooms. Caleb is first; he hangs up his backpack, walks to the door of his room and is halfway inside the room when I ask, "Can I have a hug and kiss?" He obliges, proceeds to remind the teacher of his name, takes his nametage, then disappears into the group of children sitting on the floor.

McKenna is next; she hangs up her backpack, walks into the classroom, sits down in a chair, picks up one of the books on the table and proceeds to "read." Again, I have to ask, "Can I have a hug and a kiss?" She delivers the request, then returns to her book. At that moment, I realized how independent they had become. I peaked into each room, one more time, just to make sure they are okay; they are. Then, with tear-filled eyes, I walk back down the LONG hallway, down the stairs, down another hallway and out the door of the school. The long journey out of the building was actually a blessing because each time I thought about letting loose into a full-blown crying fest, my thought was, "I have to make it out of this school building!"

To my surprise, when I did get out of the building, I didn't break down. I didn't cry on the way home, either. Instead, I wondered what the kids would do that day; what friends they would make; if they would remember to ask if they needed to use the bathroom. And it occurred to me that I should savor the fact that my children are confident, independent (as much as a 4 yr. old can be), and not afraid of new situations. Rather than kicking and screaming, crying and holding onto me tightly, they were secure enough to let go of me and jump into their new adventure. I have never been more proud.