Sometimes we just need a break!

We have been blessed to live only 3 hours from Josh's parents.  Over the past few years, they have taken some or all of the kids for extended weekends to have special time with them.  When Ethan was a baby or Tommy had school, that child would stay home with us.  But, thankfully, the last couple times we've arranged a "Grammy's house" outing, all the kids have gone.  Josh and I treasure these times alone!  Having had a child around for 6 1/2 years, we can barely remember the "quiet times."

This month, we planned to have the kids go down over Martin Luther King Jr holiday weekend since Tommy had 2 days off from school.  We usually meet somewhere along the route and swap cars and kids!  It takes everything I have to keep the kids calm before we leave!  Josh's parents were running late, so it was especially hard this time.  I actually took them grocery shopping just to get them out of the house.  Finally, it was time and we met late morning.  As usual, the kids were thrilled to see their grandparents.  I was thrilled to be alone for a bit.  It's soooo much easier to get shopping done w/o them.  I enjoyed having lunch with my Bible study leader, too.  It had been literally years since I had talked to her for more than a few minutes at a time, so we sat at Panera for over 3 hours!  I had a couple longer phone conversations with friends....because I COULD! :)

That night was date night for Josh and I.  We were trying to remember how long it had been since we'd been out to eat w/o the kids.  We figured 2-3 months, but weren't entirely sure.  We had a gift card from Christmas, so we used that.  We felt like a regular couple going out to eat together on a Friday night!  It seems funny that this "world" of living is completely foreign to us, but very common to others.  We also walked around the mall- because we could!

Saturday brought a day of major cleaning for me and home improvement work for Josh.  he's been needed to repair some holes in our stairwell walls for quite sometime, but needed to have a special ladder because of the height of the holes (10 ft up from the stairs).  His friend, Brent brought the ladder and helped Josh patch the holes and Josh spackled.  Later morning, Josh and I went on a run outside in the brisk wind!  it was chilly, but fun to be together.  We hadn't run together since May on our North Carolina trip.   This was Josh's first run over 2 miles in months since he injured himself before the October marathon.

After that, we got ready and went out for lunch at a Chinese place we'd been waiting to try.  Then, we ran a few errands together.  I spent a couple hours in the evening on my classwork (can't neglect that unfortunately).  Josh did more odds and ends around the house.  We enjoyed a later fondue dinner watching the newest Bourne movie.  It was really fun!  I'm so glad Josh enjoys and appreciates "fun" ways of having dinner- like doing fondue.  It's very economical at home too- even buying a little nicer cheese.

Today we have the usual church schedule in the morning, but we hope to get more house odds and ends and homework done.  It's been nice to talk w/o having to shout over loud kid noises or be interrupted by someone telling us about his train/car.

Don't get me wrong, we deeply love the children, but sometimes we just need a break!  By tomorrow, we'll be missing them and glad to see them again.  They bring joy into our lives!  We love talking about the funny things they say and do.  We are just glad that this weekend, we can sleep in and it's Grammy and Granddaddy they waking up at 5 AM!  It's nice to get a little taste of what our lives will be like in about 15 years!