Graham has been home a little over a week now, and I am discovering more each day that it is in the small moments that we find joy. Pushing a curly-haired girl on a swing until she goes "up to the clouds", folding laundry together (who knew I'd be so happy to wash a guy's shirts), stopping by the side of the road to pick blackberries. It has been such a simple, sweet week. But over the weekend, we decided to mix it up and take our kids along with Graham's sister and her boys to DC to explore the zoo, national mall, and smithsonian museums. You couldn't have told us that morning that we'd only make it to the zoo, that the kids would enjoy a snowcone as much as they enjoyed seeing a lion or an sloth bear, or that the highlight of the day would be the metro that we rode to and from the city. I guess when it comes to entertainment for children, keeping it simple can be better than all our well-made plans of grandeur.
So instead of trying to squeeze in that end-of-summer trip to a big, expensive amusement park, take the kids to a working farm or let them ride the closest Amtrak to a nearby city for the day. Because, after all, it's the small things that can bring the most joy.
fun!
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