We spent this Memorial Day weekend in western massachusetts at a little cabin owned by one of the attendings Pete works with. It was a small, rustic cabin and sat on 96 acres of beautiful wooded land. We've been very busy these last couple weeks, Pete with work and me with our Etsy shop and well, just the normal crazy busy life with 5 little ones, so this weekend was, I felt, well deserved and much needed. No screens, no schedule, just hanging out, playing games, picnics, fires and letting the kids run wild.
On Saturday we had a picnic and went for a short hike at the Northfield Mountain Recreation Center. There were miles and miles of trails. Pete carried Will on his back and I carried Sam in a sling, we forgot our big backpack for Will. John wanted only to find long sticks and hit them on everything, and the kids got sidetracked for quite some time on a pile of trees that had been cut down. Needless to say, we didn't make it too far. But it was still fun to be out.
After getting a lot of sap on his hand, Joe, in his thoughtful voice, asked, "Is that stuff in the trees stickier than syrup?" Yes it is, Joe. Yes it is.
Joe was overly excited to have me take a picture of the pine needles he and John were collecting to take back to the cabin and throw in the fire.
I took this picture from the back deck of the cabin. No filter, it was gorgeous!
A cabin or camping trip wouldn't be complete without hot dogs. The kids all attempted to roast their own. Pete noticed Will waving his hot dog over the fire, dipping it into the ashes every now and then and asked him if he wanted help with his hot dog. Will stared into the fire and, in his monotone voice, answered, "No... I'm doing great." A few minutes later, John noticed that Joe wasn't roasting his dog very close to the fire and said, "Joe, you're roasting your hot dog over a rock." Joe slowly broke into a smile then started laughing hysterically. He continued to go in and out of his hysterical (aka over-tired??) laughter for the next minute or two. We all couldn't help but join in, laughing more at Joe's laugh than anything else. And then to top off the hot dog roasting session, we look over at Sam sitting on the deck by the food. He has pulled the ketchup bottle off of the bench, has somehow managed to get the lid off, has his little lips stretched over the open bottle and is starting to lift it up in an effort to drink whatever lies inside. Pete rushed over there before he actually got any. I tell ya, these kids are pure entertainment!
Right before dinner on our last night, Will fell asleep right on the deck. That cute little bum! He slept right through dinner (surrounded by the other kids on the blanket), then I quietly carried him to his bed. He woke up a few hours later, had a few graham crackers and apples, then fell right back to sleep.
On our last morning there, we finished the Book of Mormon! After 2 1/2 years, this is quite the accomplishment. I wish I could say everyone was sitting quietly around the table and listening intently as we finished Moroni's last words (has that ever happened??) There were many interruptions, kids asking for this or that as we finished up breakfast, Sam babbling loudly, Joe wanting more hot chocolate and occasional fights we had to break up. But I hope the kids could feel of the importance of the book and the words it contained. That morning and the many, many mornings before. I'm grateful for the spirit reading the scriptures has brought into our home. Unfortunately Joe was being a bit of a grump when we were trying to take this picture, but here is 4/5 of the team.
On Sunday evening, Will and Sam were in bed by 6:30 which gave us all a chance to have a little down time (those two are by far the most work!) I swung in the hammock for quite some time reading my book. I peeked up to see Pete chopping some wood and the older 3 huddled around the fire, throwing in an occasional stick or leaf. I felt so grateful to have that peaceful moment. Peaceful moments can be hard to come by these days. I didn't have e-mails to respond to, dirty dishes to clean, laundry to do, shirts to fold and package or a house to clean. I just sat there and watched my sweet boys, savoring the moment. And now that I'm home, that list of things to do is back and I have hit the ground running, once again. But I feel like a short vacation and break from real life and our usual routine helps give me the energy and rededication to do all that I need to do. I'm so happy we had the chance to slow down and just be together. That's what it's all about!
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