Winter's End

Fresh Air & Hot Coffee>>>

    While it feels as though my last post was written days ago, somehow the calendar is showing we’ve hit April. Almost 3 months have gone by since my two-in-one month blog revival happened. Every day over the last few weeks “blog post” has been on the to-do list. However, life has been “life-ing” and the days just seem to pass me by. What better way to force myself to slow down and reflect on my end of winter happenings than with a little recap post? As my last entry was written in mid-January, I’ll rewind the clock a bit and start there! 

After some encouragement from Sam and my therapist (it’s 2024, mental health matters, don’t make it weird), the last weekend of January brought with it a weekend away; wait for it… just for me! I booked the coziest little airbnb a few towns away from home and had a weekend all to myself. I binge-watched some shows, finished a book, shopped around a bit, enjoyed hot coffee and fresh air, and had two nights in which I didn’t have to nurse a babe overnight or have a toddler alarm clock in the morning. In the last 3 years, there’s only been one night in which I’ve been away from both of my babies. I also struggle to “treat myself” as it is, so to book a whole weekend away was a big deal for me. It was restful and refreshing and I pushed all the mom-guilt aside to really just enjoy the time of rest. Oh, and fellow mamas, my therapist told me to tell you to try to do this for yourselves even just for one night, once a year. And no, Sam wasn’t babysitting, he was solo-parenting our children. I’m sadly aware this isn’t the norm in our society and I am grateful for the equal partner he is in raising our children. I am also hopeful that with time, this will be more normalized and encouraged for the support and well-being of family units as a whole. 

Birthday/Anniversary Date <3 

February brought with it our first 6th wedding anniversary. Yeah, I know, it’s weird but we eloped and then had a wedding six months later, so we technically have a wedding anniversary every six months. To be honest, we aren’t the type to do anything over the top to celebrate any occasion, but we are big on making family memories. We spent the morning in church and then took advantage of a beautiful afternoon in which many were preparing for Super Bowl parties (we’re not sports people) to take a family bike ride on a nearby trail. Benji brought his Jeep and was thrilled to drive along as we biked. We ended the night playing Ticket to Ride after the kids went to bed and I couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend the day. 

Matchy Matchy 

    A few days later the kids were delighted to get new matching pink hoodies for Valentine’s Day and even got some valentines in the mail. Three seems to be the age in which Benji is really interested and engaged in celebrations and traditions which has been so fun (another post on family traditions to follow). The day after, Sam’s parents flew in for his birthday and spent a long weekend with us. Even though they live in Florida, we’re spoiled with getting to see them every few months. We had a low-key weekend which included a trip to a new indoor play space for the kids, more games for us grown-ups (Ticket to Ride and Catan are the family favorites), and an afternoon lunch date for Sam and I. 

National Aquarium!

    Once March hit, we were really ready for winter to be done and spring to be here, yet it still seemed a little out of reach. A planned zoo trip when my cousin was home on spring break turned into an indoor adventure at the last minute when the late winter weather hit us again. Instead of the zoo, the kids and I drove down to Baltimore to visit the National Aquarium with my aunt and cousins. We had a great visit and spent hours following Benji and Ruth’s lead, taking in the world through toddler eyes. The moving walkways taking us up each level were Benji’s favorite thing of the day, but the jellyfish and tree frogs were close behind. A Chik-Fil-A car picnic before our drive home really sealed the deal on it being a memorable day for a toddler. Living within hours of a number of relatives has allowed for plenty of fun memories to be made, especially as the children grow and become more engaged in activities. 

Cousin Snuggles <3 

    The next day, Sam left for a work trip to Alaska and my two weeks of solo parenting began. Don’t get me wrong, two weeks of solo parenting two toddlers is not for the faint of heart (shout out to all single parents for showing up every day!), but his work trips are routine enough that we’ve gotten into a good swing for his being gone. This time, I packed up Benji, Ru and the pups to spend the first weekend with my family. We had a fun few days in which the kids got quality time with three of their grandparents, a few aunts and uncles, and their younger cousin. We spent the rest of the time at home, in our own space where we function best, getting outside and working on some spring decluttering. Then, a few days before Sam returned home, my cousin and her daughter came to spend a night with us. Benji and Ruth were jazzed to play with another baby cousin and I got to soak up a very snuggly contact nap while her Mama worked from our house. I continue to be thankful to be in similar seasons of parenting with my older sister and cousin and the connection it brings for our children! 

Easter Church Service

Unfortunately, March also brought with it some ick as we weathered our first family stomach bug. Don’t worry though, Sam was home from Alaska for a whopping three hours before I was taken out. With how sick I was, I don’t know how I would have parented two toddlers had I gotten sick before he got back home. God’s timing on Sam's return was so good as he stepped right in and took over all parenting until I was well enough to step back in.. just in time for him to get hit with it. Thankfully, Benji and Ruth had very minimal sickness and showed us a whole lot of grace and patience as we both needed half a week to get back to functioning at full capacity.

 

Easter Crew 2024

    Luckily, we were all back to good health in time for the weekend of Easter so we could celebrate with family. On Saturday, we dyed eggs for the first time, much to Benji's amazement. Then, my dad and step-mom came out for a visit and brought with them a fun Easter egg hunt for the kids. After finding the eggs one time, Benji asked them to hide the eggs again and again and again. He had just as much joy finding them on the 15th round as he did on the first. Sunday allowed us to start the day in church, praising God for the gift of Christ’s death and resurrection. The kids also got to open some spring themed Easter baskets much to their delight. We then spent the afternoon surrounded by family at my aunt and uncle’s house in Maryland as we gathered for Easter dinner. With living in different states, illnesses, coordinating shared holidays with in-laws, and fluctuating work schedules, it can be tricky to get family together. Even when we can coordinate, there’s usually someone still missing (this year my step-dad and younger cousin were missed!). This was the first time since a family wedding last June that my mom had all four of her children together in one space! Something about that fact just makes the time together feel so much more of a treasure to me.

First water table day of spring!

    These were just some of the highlights, but sprinkled throughout these months I also attended some fun celebrations for friends, had a few book club gatherings, continued my study through Proverbs with my small group, started to help out in our church’s nursery, celebrated our nephew’s 1st birthday, and got to meet the two babies that dear friends of mine recently had. At times it felt like a busy winter while at other points it dragged on in ways that felt never ending. I think this is the first year in quite some time that I have been desperate for the warmth and sunshine that spring and summer bring. While we spend time outside no matter the weather, you can only spend so much enjoyable time in the cold and wind with toddlers. I am ready for the days when we don’t need layers to leave the house! I’m sitting outside as I type this, with no need for a coat, the solar eclipse just having finished (it was cloudy so we didn’t get to see it which made me feel better about dropping the ball on getting glasses) feeling grateful that spring seems as if it is finally here to stay. Here's to hoping for sunny and warm days ahead!