Monday, April 19, 2010

Turkey Widow Weekend

Friday night was nice and relaxing. Family time...ahh. We grilled burgers and went for a walk. Analise really wanted to walk to the cemetery, so that's where we went. The girls ran, played and loved smelling all the "flowers." :) On our way home, we stopped at our new neighbor's house and visited. The girls got to bed 9:00ish, and Brandon began to get ready for the big day.
Saturday morning, he was gone before 5:00. The girls and I emerged 7:30ish. We hopped in the van to go get our favorite donuts. After baths, we ran a couple of places. Our morning went pretty quickly. The girls got along, and I wasn't crabby like last weekend. A win-win! The girls took good naps, and then we ventured out again. I took them to a nursery across town. It's like a field trip for us. We all walked around, smelling real flowers and looking for things to plant in our garden. I am so antsy to get things planted!
We came home for a bit and then headed over to my sister in laws. The girls loved hanging out with their cousins, and I enjoyed adult conversation. Pizza and family. The good times. The guys got home around 8:15. That made for a tough call as a mom. 1. Get the girls home and to bed at a decent time and not see dad. 2 let the girls stay up late so they can see dad, but know I will pay for it the next day. I went with option 2. They were excited to know that daddy shot a big tom. They like their feather, and I cringed at the turkey feet he wiggled in front of me. I was told I should be impressed with the size of the spurs. :) The girls again got to bed around 9:00. Now I know some moms probably wonder why that's such a big deal. I try and be flexible with our schedule; I just know my girls do best with a schedule. And when they stay up late, they don't make up for it by sleeping later. They just get more and more tired, which means more irritable.
I digress...
Brandon and I spent a little time together before we headed to bed. He was one tired hunter. However, not tired enough to keep him from hunting again on Sunday. Again he got up crazy early. He just loves this turkey hunting season. :) The girls and I went to church and then out to lunch with the other family "turkey widows." We went for Chinese. I hadn't had Chinese since last August! Yum. Sunday afternoon was a little rough. Maisie refused to nap, and I didn't have the energy to fight her. I gave in quickly and let her watch a movie with Analise. I was grieving the loss of Rachel. It was the one year anniversary. So while the girls watched the movie, I mowed the yard. It was kind of therapeutic for me. Time by myself to think of Rachel and to pray for her family. But when I was finished, I was tired. Crying makes me tired. I laid down for about 20 minutes while the big girls played quietly and Sadie jabbered in her crib. The girls then played outside together so nicely while I made banana bread for small group. Analise was a big, supportive help today. Maisie did pretty well for having no naps; she had just a few emotional moments.
I was glad to have small group to get us out of the house and give the girls some time with friends. We didn't stay the whole time because I knew I had to get the girls to bed at a decent time, and I knew I'd be doing it alone.
All said and done, the girls were in bed a little after 8:00. Maisie fell asleep before that even.
Brandon got home at 10:00, exhausted and yet excited about the hunt. We will all be glad to have him around again. :) I am so thankful for family in town who helped us pass the time this weekend. I am also thankful Brandon had lots of fun and actually took time to do something he enjoyed.

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