Taking things for Granted...

Saturday morning the family packed up and drove to my mom and dads house for the weekend and a few bonus days. Ed has a business thing in the Chicago area and we tagged along. he dropped us off and will return tomorrow night. We had a great weekend with my mom. My dad is working out of town...on an oil rig platform of some type...he gets helicoptered in and lives in a room on the platform with bunks and other men. I know he would like to be home: visiting with us, fishing, flipping channels and maybe even mowing the lawn. Today I had the boys on my own because my mom has to work. This morning we went out and about around the Lake Geneva area. We got to see a display of circus cars being displayed in the area. We walked the streets of Lake Geneva and saw some big boats. We ended our morning downtown getting ice cream. Since it was quiet, summer season has ended, the ice cream lady was super excited for the three of us to walk in. She let Charley try all sorts of ice creams. He finally decided on Superman ice cream. OH BOY! I knew he would end with a blue face and red splotches on his pants with a big yellow stain on his shirt. But! To surprise me he ate the ice cream very well. We sat on the bench outside of the shop and savored, probably our last ice cream cone of summer. It was time to go so Charley was determined to finish his ice cream while we walked to the car. He knew when we got there he would have to throw what was left of the cone away. I pointed to two garbage cans and told him to pick one. He proudly picked one and told me firmly, "mama, you stay right there. I can do it!" And off he took off...the next thing I hear is splat and WAAAAAA! He tripped. His cone went flying and the last part of his giant scoop of ice cream landed about 8 inches from the cone. Of course I verbally checked with Charley to make sure he was okay, but I was also grabbing for my camera as fast as I could. I know, I know...blogging has changed my world...but when I get home I will attach the picture of the sad disaster. I thought it was a classic three year old ice cream blunder.

Reflecting on the day...when I got home my sister once again reminded me how lucky I am to have these days with my sons. I do realize that sitting on a bench on Monday morning enjoying ice cream and talking about why crab apples are called crab apples may seem silly to some people. And I often take these days for granted...but I realize more and more that these little things that I take for granted are the most important things in my life. And these times are going fast. My boys are growing, their faces changing, their abilities to do things more independently increase, and they continue to soak up all that surrounds them so that they can think and vocalize their own thoughts and ideas. So the fact that I was up from 2 am to 3 am last night as Charley tossed and turned and Henry cried to be fed, tends to bring out my crabby side; I know that soon enough I will get nights of complete rest when my boys no longer cry out for me. I know that soon enough I will be able to sleep until noon and no one will care. So for today I will look into the expressive face of my Hank and Chuck and I will appreciate the moments that cause me to almost go insane with happiness and craziness. And I will take in the giggles, chats, and quiet moments with a little more gratitude. I am thankful for taking this path in life which includes a splattered ice cream cone.