downtime with family...


i must say, i've been very blessed. i married into a family where "in-law" hardly has any meaning anymore. it's a formality, something that does not really exist other than as a title. half the time, my mother-in-law doesn't seem to hear me when i call her by her first name. miraculously, if i just say "mom", i can get her attention.

i had hoped to go to south georgia to visit my cousin and her family this weekend. however, hubby HATES heat and humidity, so we decided we'll have to wait until it cools off a little down there. i'll hold him to that.

instead, we made our second trek of the summer to indy. this time, hubby's sister and her hubby also made the journey. it had been over 4 months since they saw hannah. and even though it's not even been 2 months since hannah saw her older cousins, in many ways she seems like a totally different child. 2 months ago, she was just learning to crawl and pull herself up. now she is quite proficient at chasing jessie the kitty and grabbing her fur. she pulls herself to standing on anything and anyone, and today she took her first swim in a big pool (with daddy).

we didn't have any major plans, and one of the things i love about our family is that vacation is just that. we travel a great distance to be together, and we are able to relax. i love to sit back and watch goose, monkey & bear play together. this trip, i've done that a lot. bear seems increasingly anxious to be able to do what she sees everyone else doing. em (aka goose) is especially willing to teach her young apprentice anything she physically able to do. when hannah couldn't ride the tricycle by herself, em scooted back so hannah could sit on the seat. then the pair scooted across the living room, the elder cousins arms keeping our young adventurer in place.

every weekend getaway that we are able to take makes me grateful for the time we have. it's so easy to get caught up in worrying about finances. but just a year ago there were days when hubby worked all night, then had to wait around a couple of hours before court, then had to wait around in court .... returning home close to a full day from when he left. he did not have most holidays off like the rest of us, and he rarely was able to even go to church.

so, our latest visit is ending. hopefully we have not worn out our welcome by taking advantage of hubby's much more flexible schedule. knowing our family, i doubt it. and i am grateful that our children are able to get to know their cousins, aunts and uncles by spending time with them several times per year. i left most of the memory capturing (picture taking) to the family experts, and just observed unbridled youth. having time to watch the little ones grow and play together is priceless.