Mini Vacay

Stephen, the kids, and I headed to Columbia, SC this past weekend for a little getaway.  The main purpose was to attend the wedding of a childhood friend, which was happening Sunday evening.  We decided to go up Saturday morning and make a little trip of it!

We got off around 10 AM Saturday, stopped for lunch (crepes!) and gas ($1.85/gallon!) in North Augusta, SC, then made it to Columbia around 1 PM.  Our first stop was the Riverbanks Zoo.  It was a pretty cool zoo, with a carousel, a little train, a mini-aquarium, ice cream, and more.  The kids enjoyed it, though I think Parker had had enough walking towards the end!

Apparently, the elephants stunk.

We went and checked into our hotel, got showered and dressed, and ventured out to a local pizza join right off of the USC campus.  It reminded me a lot of downtown Athens... it was a very cute, college-y town.  After dinner, Sydney and I walked up the street to see more of the campus until Stephen and T & P came to pick us up.  Sydney and I had a great, quality chat, and she commented that she and I need to do more getaways with just the two of us.  I agreed. :)

I think the pizza slice is bigger than her body.

It was hard to get the three kiddos to go to sleep that night!!  It's almost impossible when they're all three in eye and ear shot of each other.  But finally, right before 9 PM, they were all asleep... as was I.

The next morning, we woke up, ate breakfast at the hotel, and then headed out to a park called Saluda Shoals.  They had some really awesome, paved trails through the woods.  We took a decent walk through the woods, admiring the river and the beautiful trees.

After the hike, the kids played on the playground and then changed into their bathing suits to go to the splash pad.  It was great- for about an hour and a half, the kiddos were entertained, and Stephen and I could just sit back on the bench and... talk!  (gasp!)

This was their favorite part!

We went back to the hotel and changed, and then drove up the street to go to Jason's Deli for lunch. Once we got there and found a parking spot, we realized that it would've been quicker to have just walked from the hotel!  So, the girls and I decided to walk home, while Stephen and Parker drove.  I wasn't really thinking that we'd beat them or anything, but right when we were about to get to the hotel, we see them drive by.  Well, if you know anything about us, you know that competition is big in our family.  We took off!  Stephen pulls into the first parking spot he could find and unbuckles Parker as fast as he could.  He grabbed Parker and was running in with him like he was stealing him!  It was a foot race to the hotel and... GIRLS WON!  woot!  It was so funny, definitely an unplanned highlight of the trip.

Free ice cream at Jason's Deli!  Score.

Our walk (race?) home.

That afternoon, we got ready for the wedding and met my parents, sister, and nieces, who made the journey there that afternoon.  The wedding was around the corner from the hotel in a cool old-timey building that was renovated to hold events.  It was a very cool venue.  I didn't take too many pictures- especially of Parker in his cute tie!- but it was a blast of a wedding, with great food, great company, and lots of dancing.

Congrats, Robin and Jeff!

The next morning, we ate breakfast with the grand-parental units, sis, & nieces and then hit the road.  It was a fun mini-trip!  I love exploring new places.

My new life!

Well, I'd now consider myself a "stay-at-home mom" for about a month now.  I won't count the summer, since I'm normally off anyways.  The girls went back to school on August the 5th, and that's when reality kind of hit me.  No more running around like crazy, trying to entertain 3 children all day, no more excuses for why the house isn't clean or why dinner isn't ready.  This was the start of my new career!  And I had to live up to my talk.

So far, it's been wonderful.  Freeing.  Not (as) stressful.  Fulfilling.  Awesome.  But definitely not perfect... there was a couple week adjustment period, for sure.  The start of school was a bit rough, mainly for Taylor.  Adjusting to not having two girls to entertain him was difficult for Parker.  Trying to stick really close to a specific budget has been hard.  Keeping the house clean is virtually impossible.  It was hard for me to all of a sudden be the maid, be the cook, be the chauffeur, 100% of the time (we used to share these tasks!).

But... let me just tell you.  I get to be with my kids.  I get to cook dinner every night, including lots of new meals.  I get to walk- by myself, with Parker, with friends.  I get to focus on my health.  I get to be crafty.  I get to be very detached from my phone- which is a good thing- and sometimes I realize I've gone most of the day without even checking it!  (such a difference from work, when I'd feel the need to check and reply to emails right away).  I get to organize the house.  I get to do tasks that I've been needing to do for months, if not years.  I get to have play dates with friends and their kids.  I get to hang with my little buddy every day. We go to parks and play a lot.  I get to read to the girls for a while every night.  I get to read books for myself! (already about to finish book 2)  I get to coupon and search for deals at the grocery store.

"I get".  I'm so blessed to "get" to do these things.

New things I've added to my plate- room mom for Taylor's class, room mom for Parker's class, and team mom for Sydney's soccer team.  I'm going to volunteer 3 hours a week in Sydney's classroom.  I'm leading a ladies' workout group at my church two mornings a week.  I've joined a couple of help teams at church, and we're hosting a small group at our house, starting next weekend.  My parents and I are in the early stages of our Etsy store.  I help Stephen with some of the secretarial things for his job.  I swear, I'm more busy now than ever!

Some big tasks I've done are redoing the girls rooms, cleaning out and reorganizing our 3rd car garage, sewing clothes that had ripped (I know, who am I??), selling lots of stuff on eBay and donating other items, organizing the thousands of printed photos from 1980 on and putting them into boxes by years/events.  These are things I would have chuckled at if I thought of doing them while I was working.

I am loving it!!  I am very blessed to be in this position right now.

Here are some recent pics from our adventures:

Stephen's bday!

Sydney's artwork from her reading class on the wall at her school!

Waving to the garbage truck.

When we walk at the park, he likes to "mow da gass" with his stick.

Shenanigans in the carpool lane before school.

Taylor's first dance class!

Her friend, Lena, invited her.

Crafts with Grandmom!

Golf cart ride.  That's a winning smile right there.