together outside.

i'm having issues.
with industrialization...
and schedules...

sometimes it feels like all we do is
1)clean our house
2)drive to practices or games
3)hurry the kids into the car or into bed

and, it's DRIVING ME CRAZY.

to maintain peace in my home, i stay at home with the younger kids while the professor commutes to practices and games.
my toddlers are happy when they get their naps and my family is happy when we have an orderly home and cooked meals.
so, i stay home.
sometimes we trade off and the professor stays home.
sometimes stuff overlaps and we divide and conquer. 
we do a great tag-team.
but, this weekend i got SICK of the tag team life...
I desperately craved TOGETHER time.
and, we did it.
seriously-
Friday afternoon i cried to the professor and he met me for lunch at the mall.
we just sat together and let the little girls play at the mall park and then hold some cute puppies at the pet store...
After school Friday, we met at a park and watched the sunset.
we had our weekly Papa Murphy's Friday dinner and watched Superman 2 (the old one)
The professor and i met some friends for the late night showing of Harry Potter 7 part 1.
yes, i fell asleep... i'm horrible during late night movies- even when we're sitting on the first row.

on Saturday, we went TOGETHER to help our friends move.
then we went to the Texas Tech Museum...
it was SO fun... why don't we do this more?
oh yeah, because it's NOT ON OUR SCHEDULE.

we had plans to attend basketball games together that afternoon...
but, our little kids needed naps.
so the professor stayed home and i took Anna and Drew to basketball.
we arrived a little early to one game and so we decided to go outside...
the kids wanted to find a park.
i decided, right then and there, that I HATE PARKS.

i didn't want them climbing on some metal interpretation of a fire truck... i wanted them to touch a TREE.

we stopped a grassy field and they found "the perfect tree"
they climbed and when it was time to go they asked to climb some more...
"Mom, in our new house in Oregon, can we have a tree?"  they both begged.
"Yes!"  i promised.  "For sure, we can have a tree in Oregon."
my poor, dessert/city kids...
Less man made play sets... MORE God made play sets...  that's my goal.

Saturday night the professor and i went to a Pie Party...
it was fun to visit with friends, even though i'm definitely at the I'M TOO FAT FOR MY CLOTHES stage of life...

Sunday, i was again in the I'M TOO FAT FOR MY SUNDAY CLOTHES mood and kinda cranky at church...

Right after church, we stopped at home, grabbed some quilts and snacks and headed back to the perfect tree.
i actually fell asleep outside in the sunshine while my kids climbed trees (in their church clothes) and played with sticks.
life was good.

i'm NOT a schedule person.
i hate them.
i think way too much and i re-evaluate daily.
i'm grateful to be married to Mr. Consistent.
he would be happy knowing we'd cuddle every Sunday and Thursday evening- for the rest of our lives...
me, i'm a cuddle me in the morning... when you're all dressed, smelling good, clean-shaven, and determined to get to work... because you choose me over schedules- type person.
it's Quality Time...  and we'd be a mess if it weren't for Mr. Consistent.
cause, i don't care if they miss practices.
i dream of MEMORIES.
and TOGETHER time.
and memories are made while we eat pop tarts, in a field, climbing in our church clothes.
outside.
touching stuff that's real.

we might not have horses or chickens... but gosh darn it, we CAN have STICKS.