My friendships need to be nurtured, and even family relationships need to be nurtured. They'll always be family but how close we are depends on how much we put into the relationship.
And, sometimes when there are miles that separate you and work loads and children's activities and the many responsibilities that turn our days into weeks and our weeks into years, it takes effort. You have to make time, actually create time to nurture those relationships.
I've been feeling like I need to reconnect with my family and my kids need to reconnect with their cousins but dang it if every weekend we try to make it back home, there are multiple things in our schedules that keep us from it. And I thought, "Welcome to the rest of your life! Helloooooo! Your life is not going to get any less busy if that's what your waiting for!" And that's when I realized that while I thought I was doing good to try and simplify my life and leave time for us to spend more time together as a family, there is always something that swallows that ever so precious free time up. And that if I was ever going to find the time, I had to create it!
And, sometimes when there are miles that separate you and work loads and children's activities and the many responsibilities that turn our days into weeks and our weeks into years, it takes effort. You have to make time, actually create time to nurture those relationships.
I've been feeling like I need to reconnect with my family and my kids need to reconnect with their cousins but dang it if every weekend we try to make it back home, there are multiple things in our schedules that keep us from it. And I thought, "Welcome to the rest of your life! Helloooooo! Your life is not going to get any less busy if that's what your waiting for!" And that's when I realized that while I thought I was doing good to try and simplify my life and leave time for us to spend more time together as a family, there is always something that swallows that ever so precious free time up. And that if I was ever going to find the time, I had to create it!
Life is busy. Life happens. And then one day you turn around and your children are almost teenagers with schedules and ideas of their own on how their time should be spent. I hope I can teach them that beyond school, sports, and friends, is family. And when it's all said and done, we will look back and probably not remember the score of the basketball tournament we missed, or the tips we learned in 1 or 2 missed baseball practices. Friends will come and go, but cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents are timeless and the deposit's we make into our memory banks with them are priceless.
"Other things may change us, but we start and end with family."
This weekend we left it all behind, including Lee (who was unfortunately in Chicago on business) and went to nurture those relationships. I forget how much fun that nurturing can be!
Sunday after church me, Nonni, and aunt Brooke and aunt Rachel took all the kiddos 5 minutes from my parents house to Big Toe at the base of the mountain. (When I was in high school, a bunch of friends and I would come here and for some reason, we named it 'Big Toe' and that's what it's been ever since!)
"Other things may change us, but we start and end with family."
This weekend we left it all behind, including Lee (who was unfortunately in Chicago on business) and went to nurture those relationships. I forget how much fun that nurturing can be!
Sunday after church me, Nonni, and aunt Brooke and aunt Rachel took all the kiddos 5 minutes from my parents house to Big Toe at the base of the mountain. (When I was in high school, a bunch of friends and I would come here and for some reason, we named it 'Big Toe' and that's what it's been ever since!)
Tough guys!
All 11 of them!Void of all their wet clothes and shivering from swimming in the melted streams of snow on the mountain!
The polar bear club!These crazies got in over their heads (literally) in the freezing water!
The Alder crazies!
The Varney crazies!
and The Bingham crazies!
Our "Tom Sawyer" ready to go home!
6 comments:
Oh Anna! I love it. And you are so right! Experiences and memories are far more importatnt...I'm glad you got away and had fun with all of those kids!
So well put! Great pics! I'm so sorry that I missed the trip up to see family (I am included right?):)
Wow that looks cold!!! How much fun for the cousins to be together :) Family is awesome and we sure love you guys.
Aahh - you went to Big Toe! I haven't been there in at least 10 years. I'm taking my kids there in April when we come to AZ (if I can remember how to get there!)
You have adorable kids!
It was so fun. i'm not in the "polar bear" club because I discovered there were millions of tiny worms in the water. Lice, unfortunately is not on my most wanted list. I did however, fall and get myself wet from the waist down.
-Rylie
Dang! You put my blog to shame!! I'm still trying to get the hang of it! It drives my sister crazy! Your kids look like they had a blast :)
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