A four day weekend wrap up.
With four days I knew I needed to be intentional about my time. My efforts.
Being intentional, for me, is all about being present in the moment.
Not anxious for tomorrow. Or the next day.
Not sorry or regretful about something that happened yesterday or last week.... or last year.
Just being "in" the moment.
Full of heart.
Able to give all that makes me special and unique to others.
Thinking about "now"... being present.
Being intentional.
Friday was the first of the four days at home with my family and it started early. Ugh. O'dark thirty early. My three sons and I (oh how I loved that tv show) drove to Olympia to tour Evergreen State College. Nate was admitted for the fall, so we wanted to check it out and see just how "liberal" a liberal arts school can be. And I'm here to tell you it was an experience! It might be too 'student led' for Nate's learning style and needs. However, any school that has 1,000 acres (largest campus in Wa state) and an organic farm on it and gives descriptive narratives of the students' semester accomplishments rather than grade has my vote!
Have you ever been on a four hour college information and campus tour?
With twin six year old active boys?
After a four hour car ride where they couldn't "move"....
... And suddenly they CAN move...
It was pretty fun!
Nearly eight hours in the car gave me lots of opportunities to have intentional conversations with the boys. Talking to Nate about his upcoming first year "away" from hme. Praising Liam about how great he did on the college tour.
Raising boys is very fun and rewarding mom work.
After seeing the college we did what others do in Olympia... no, we didn't tour the capital because it was nearly 5pm... we headed to Menchies! The four of us really enjoyed that tasty stop. And I greatly enjoyed all the conversations with Nate and Liam. Tommy is a boy of few words so we mostly giggled at each other. I heart menchies!
Saturday started with Liam's last basketball game. He had some nice assists again and then surprised us with taking a shot! What a great ending to his first bball experience. It wasn't until I was at the gym later that afternoon and his coach was working out near me that she shared he was her "most improved player". Increasing his self esteem, appropriate social interactions with other kids (he started the season mistaking bball for wrestling), increased skills with bball itself and a longer length of focus on an activity.
I like being intentional with the kids sports and really trying to find opportunities for them to become even better little human beings.
Saturday evening we had farmer Tiffany to dinner (there she is with one of her hens) and her family. It was an impromptu dinner party. We really enjoy talking to her family and we have three six year olds born within two weeks so lots of boy energy!
Sunday evening we hosted our second dinner party of the weekend, nearly twenty people and lots of mexican food to celebrate Hannah's 19th birthday. I'm officially old. And very proud of who my daughter is becoming (to the left in the pink). My parents drove up to help celebrate and we enjoyed a very relaxed afternoon talking to them. Brandon and Megan came from Western to help celebrate and so did my sweet sista Debbie and her family! Lots of fun. I want to be more intentional with seeing all my extended family regularly. Life is fragile and short. And I love my family more than anything in the world and need to see them more often. My sister Debbie was first to say that we should do this regularly!
Lots of fun moments in the evening. Yes Michael and Robert above are just that much fun. You should have seen them in halloween costume wigs later in the evening.... oh my did all the kids laugh hard when the wigs came out. Except Tommy. It was too much for him to see people "change" and he got really worried and mad. No wigs for Tommy!
Monday was the last day of the four days and I trained our new babysitter in all things for the twins. Our sitters stay with us for about a year on average and we have hired most from the Western Wa Univ job board and they turn out to be education majors or speech language paths and just plain wonderful sitters for the boys. Her and I spent hours together going over what to do and defining expectations. She is going to be great! Being intentional in raising the boys involves alot of planning especially in being selective about highly skilled people to help fill in the gaps. It is well worth it when I see happy kids.
I wrapped up the day talking a meal to a family on the lake next to our home that is so incredibly special. They have a beautiful family that includes a few foster adopted sweet kiddos. And a newly hosted baby who has many medical needs. So I just knew that being intentional with my time on Monday so I could run them a meal would be a blessing to them. And let me tell you right now that baby gave me major baby pains oh my he is a gorgeous baby boy.
Being intentional
James 1:22
"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves"