Spring Break--A New Approach

Now that I'm a mom, I approach spring break much differently than I did as a kid. In my carefree youth, I would have been shocked at the suggestion that my school breaks might possibly be a form of stress to anyone, especially to either of my parents. But now here I stand on the other side of the coin, and only half a day into the girls' week-long spring break, I found myself wondering how I will possibly handle an entire summer.

I immediately made lots of plans that would get us out of the house and keep all of us busy and happy. The girls saw lots of friends - every day they got to play with somebody and I was happy for the joy my girls find in their healthy relationships with friends. Wednesday we went to the children's museum in Waco and I found myself hoping they never outgrow the excitement of discovering new things. We went to the library and I felt so much pride in both of them as they exited the building while struggling to steady the tower of books each of them could barely see over. We baked cookies and I felt grateful for time spent together doing something the girls enjoy. The girls did lots of jobs around the house and I prayed in my heart that the act of washing door knobs and folding laundry will lay foundations of a strong work ethic within both of them. We worked through some sibling squabbles and I witnessed maturity budding from each of them in small, but significant ways.

All of this in four and a half short days at home together.

The rest of the time we spent on a family roadtrip. Another event in our quest to visit, see, do, experience, and embrace our remaining Texas time. We drove to a cute little town called Fredericksburg and decided that we can't be patrons of non-kid-friendly restaurants and enjoy it when we have Meg with us. Once we solved that little mystery, the trip got better. The girls felt so grown up when we allowed them to go swimming after dinner, even though it was after 9pm. Their little swimming excursion gave Meg some time to settle down and go to sleep before they returned, and it gave me some time to get our bags organized. When Jared and the girls got back to the room, they thought I'd been relaxing and taking it easy the whole time they were gone. After I set them straight on the responsibilities of a mother while vacationing, Jared said, "The dad jobs are fun."

Yesterday we scouted out a letterbox at an old army fort before we left Fredericksburg. We explored the place, talked about what it would have been like to be a prisoner there, took lots of fun pictures, climbed trees, and balanced on rocks. Then we headed to Enchanted Rock, which was our main purpose for the trip. We were so disappointed when we were greeted by a park ranger standing in front of a closed gate--the park was at capacity and they wouldn't be re-opening for another two hours. So we drove thirty minutes into the closest town for lunch, and instead of returning to Enchanted Rock we took the Pizza Hut lady's advice and headed for Longhorn Caverns instead. The girls were really disappointed, but they kept positive attitudes and no one let the setback ruin the trip. We looked forward to exploring another cave, especially after learning at the children's museum that the state of Texas has the most known caves.

The cave was huge and so interesting. Our guide took us into one spacious room where Indians used to hold council meetings and where three Texas Rangers once rescued a lady who was being held captive by the Indians. Years later, the owner of the land turned the big cave room into a dance hall on Saturdays and a preacher taught on Sundays. Today they hold concerts, weddings, and parties in the cave. I would love to host a cave party one day!

In the cave, the girls used their imaginations to find shapes in the rocks--Brita discovered cutouts of people, Leah found some turtles and ships, and they imagined the walls of their bedrooms in our new house being covered with the same sparkly, crystal rocks that covered some of the cave walls.

We returned home last night, early enough that I was able to get everything unpacked and the house put back together before going to bed. This morning we all took it easy. The girls lounged in their pajamas all morning and played Monopoly with Jared until it was time to get ready for church. We held a family fast today and asked the Lord to give us peace and courage as we deal with separation and new, unfamiliar experiences related to our upcoming move. It was a great way to close a satisfying spring break and set the tone for opening a new week.

Our spring break was a time for us to enjoy each other, a time for us to enjoy life, and a time for learning. We learned facts on our excursions, we learned about a little history, we had lessons in getting along, and I learned that it's possible to stop dreading and start enjoying. After all, I don't dread being with my own children. I'm learning that as a mom I need to be proactive, resourceful and motivated enough to create opportunities for us to have positive experiences together.

I started out the week dreading a summer that would come way too soon. Yet now as spring break comes to a close, I feel a pain and a bit of regret that it can't last a little longer. Tomorrow morning they will return to their routine, walking through familiar doors where they are taught, their horizons are expanded, and they are happy. I can let them go. I can let them enjoy and embrace their last couple months of everyday Texas life as they know it. I'll even allow myself permission to enjoy life the same. But as I'm enjoying my last couple months of everyday Texas life as I know it, I'll be looking forward with a light in my eyes because soon enough I'm going to have all three of my girls all to myself...for one whole summer.