Family Field Trip

Sometimes I think I should have more exciting things to blog about- not just the everyday moments that make up our lives, but my crafts (ha! I haven't made one of those in quite a while), or my organizing or decorating skills or my thoughts on marriage, education, money, religion... I don't know, just... more.  Even though I fully realize that blogging is becoming a dying art (at least compared to what it used to be), I still love it.  But at the end of the day and any time I might have spent on any of those other things, my life and my thoughts always come back to the most important things- my family.  Everything else is just fluff.

So!  First things first.  Jason was measuring our yard for his grand sprinkler system plans and bonked his head on the external vent to the fireplace.  Hence the big red circle in the middle of his forehead.  Poor guy.

This week I took the kids out of school and we drove up to Ames for a youth matinee presentation of Five Little Monkeys.  Since Jason works just outside of Ames he was able to join us, and it was so fun to see him in the middle of the day.  Especially for me.  An adult!  Who can hold my babies!  And asks me questions, and even listens to the answers!  So nice.  When he had headed back to work and the rest of us back home, I sent him this picture with a note-

A Wednesday worth remembering.  

And it was true for all of us.  The days come and go and we put our heads down and do our duties- whether they be at home, at school, or at work- 99% of the time.  And the work has to be done.  But these days are the ones that we remember.

Some of the details worth remembering from this day-
-How excited the kids were to pack up their own lunches to eat at the theater before the performance started.  The two littlest fell asleep on the ride up, so we enjoyed our sack lunches in the car.
-The way Emma and I bounded up and down the theater stairs in search of a bathroom.  We are still in the "check out every potty in every place we ever go" phase of potty training.  But she's never had an accident in a public place, so that is just fine by me.

-Listening to the Beatles and other great oldies while we waited for the show to start.  Emma grabbed Noah's hand and shouted, "Two, three, four!" while we were rocking out to The Monkees I'm a Believer.
-the way all three of the big kids huddled on and around Jason during the more intense moments of the play.  Who knew that crocodile could be so scary?
-Smiling to myself as I related all too well with the "Mama" character- dashing from place to place, constantly interrupted, apologetically asking people to please help her out while she tried to wrangle her little monkeys, exhausted... I get it!
-The wind!  It was super strong when we left the theater and we all had to hunch over as we trudged to the car.  Emma walked with her hand across her eyes, shielding the wind "like Kristoff".
-Taking note of how good it felt to be out and about, exposing my kids to fun things and bucking the everyday school/home/work routine.  I have a list of things that I do that help me feel like "a good mom", and outings like this is definitely on the list.