My life has changed drastically in the last few years. Dealing with my divorce left me paralyzed with fear and overwhelmed with social anxiety. A year ago, this party was held only thirty minutes from my house and I literally could not make myself go. This year, I looked forward to making time for the ones that count.
Traveling with children is never dull. The morning started off with a debate over why I felt it was unreasonable to pack four individual types of toothpaste for an overnight trip. Then when we got into the car, Austin said "Step on it Mama!" and I started to panic. What if the entire day was full of are we there yet cries while my seat was kicked?
My children do their biggest thinking in the car and when they are trying to avoid sleep at night. I enjoy the conversations we have and also the ones I overhear between them. The boys were very excited to go to Stone Mountain to see Miss Mary. Austin wanted to know if we could roll down the mountain and we had to explain it is a real mountain, not a hill. Jackson had planned to sleep outside but Austin was afraid of mountain lions and preferred to sleep indoors. Austin told Jackson to sleep with one eye open because he planned to put ham in Jackson's pants so he would be eaten by the mountain lions. Aw, brotherly love.
We stopped midway to eat and for the kids to play and burn off some energy. They asked where we were and I said I didn't really know. About that time an elderly man wearing a Hawaiian shirt opened the restaurant door for us. Austin announced loudly that we must be in Hawaii and said he Aloha to the perplexed man. Austin told the man he had always wanted to visit here.
When the boys saw the Atlanta skyline, they got so excited. They immediately asked which forms of public transportation we could ride while we were in town. That is when I realized often we try too hard to entertain and please children. It really is the simplest of things that keep them entertained.
Tonight, as we sat around the campfire, I enjoyed the music under the stars. There is nothing better for my soul than hearing the laughter of my children, being outdoors and listening to live music. Good friends, good food and good memories. It just doesn't get much better.
We also learned a few life lessons along the way. The boys learned not to flip babies. I learned that removing every hazard from children's lives does not teach them basic survival skills like not to play with matches. Also, I made an interesting observation. I am not entirely sure how long it takes for quartz to form but it takes five little boys only minutes to destroy it. Inquisitive minds leave no stone unturned when exploring.
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