Together

I’ve had a weird few days. A few weeks ago Jon’s mom called and asked if my big kids could come over to Oklahoma for a couple weeks. They’ve never been away from us for that long. In fact, I’ve never really been home for more than a couple days without them here because the other times they’ve gone to OK without us was when Jon and I were on Honduras trips. At first I didn’t think I could handle them being gone two weeks, but the more I thought about it I realized that it would probably be very good for them and for me.

During the end of my pregnancy and since Tobin was born, I’ve really struggled with my inability to do as much with the big kids. They’ve done GREAT, actually, by playing together. They’ve spent a lot of time playing outside, jumping on the trampoline, swinging and riding bikes. They’ve played inside in each other’s rooms with their toys, drawing pictures and doing crafts. I’m pretty sure they’re not going to be damaged because I’ve had a lot going on, but I have been struggling with some guilt about how much they’ve had to play ‘on their own’. I figured spending time with Papa, Nana and their cousins would be different and fun for them. It has been—when I talk to them they tell me about how much fun they’ve been having and I’m glad for them.

Here in Huntsville, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how much quieter my days are with just a baby around the house. He’s still on a 3-hour schedule, so I’m definitely not just sitting round doing nothing, but it’s just been so much calmer. A newborn is just so flexible. They’re easy to tote around, pretty much anywhere.
Since the kids have been gone, Jon and I have had so much fun together. Even with Tobin around, it still seems like it’s “the old ‘us’”, the college kids who got married almost 10 years ago. In my mind, we’re still that young, but one look at reality screams that things have changed. Sometimes in the hustle and bustle of daily life, it’s hard to stop and remember how much fun those college kids had. Between work schedules, grocery shopping, laundry, cleaning, and everything else that goes into keeping a family running, sometimes it’s hard to find time to just be together and have fun.

We’ve seen a couple movies at the dollar theater and gone out to eat. We’ve gone shopping, rented a movie and ordered carry-out. We test drove a car that we’re probably going to buy. We’ve talked about the plans for the not-so-far-away future. We’ve cleaned out our closets and we’ve packed lots of boxes. Our friends even kept the baby one night and we went out ALL alone! And I have enjoyed every second of it!

I always hear older, wiser people say that one danger of raising kids is to become so wrapped up in the kids that you grow apart as a couple. Then one day, when the kids are gone, two strangers are left behind. I don’t feel like that’s happening, but it’s always something that sticks in the back of my mind as we sometimes trudge along day-to-day. That’s why this past week has been so great for me. It’s refreshing to be assured of how much I not only love my sweet husband, but I really, really like him and I love hanging out with him. He’s so much fun and we laugh so much together.

Times like this, when we get to just be together, are fun because it’s like the old days for us. Except it’s better because we’ve come this far…together. Our history makes us stronger. And I can’t wait for our future!