Fun Weekend

We had a gorgeous weekend last weekend. Steve left on Friday for our church's mens retreat. So, I thought the kids and I should have a little fun Mommy time. Friday night we went to dinner with our neighbors Jay and Taunya. We always have fun with them. Saturday, of course the kids had to have German Pancakes. (This has become a Saturday morning tradition) And after breakfast the kids and I headed out on the trail for a bike ride. It was gorgeous. The weather couldn't have been more beautiful. We would get to a spot on the trail were the river was running swift and the trees were not blocking the view and Kelly would have to stop to look at the "Beautiful view". Riding on the trail can be a bit stressful with kids. And on the first warm Saturday of the season, everyone seems to be out. Not everyone abides by trail rules. Stay on the right side of the trail. Warn people when you're passing them on the left so they don't have a heart attack when you fly by them. Keeping the kids on the right side of the trail can be tricky. And after my accident last year, I tend to be a bit more cautious than most. Kelly is the one I'm after the most. That girl can't ride in a straight line to save her life. She is constantly weaving around, so I'm constantly saying "stay on your side Kelly". Despite all that, we had a great time. We rode five miles. Kelly started out saying she wanted to ride more than five and complained when we turned around at 2.5 miles to head home, but by the time we were coming up on a half mile left, she was really glad to be almost home. Keith wants a bike with gears this year. He wants to keep up with me one the trails without having to pedal twice as fast as me. We'll see.
After riding on the trail we ran to the store to get some stuff for dinner. Got home, cleaned up the picnic table and back patio, and then Keith started missing Steve. He was just wanting to throw football with someone and Kelly and I weren't good enough. So he asked if he could see if Jay and Taunya had any work he could do. As it turned out they were out front throwing ball, so Keith took Taunya's place and we ended up hanging out with them all afternoon.
Then we came home, grilled burgers, ate out on the patio and had ice cream bars after dinner. As Kelly was eating her ice cream she said, "Mom this was the BEST day of my life. I wish all days were like this. Keith and I are getting so spoiled!"
It reminded me that it's the simple things in life that children love. Time spent with them is more important than what you buy them. Quality time focusing on that relationship you have with them is what matters most. We had a lot of fun. We weren't on a schedule. We didn't have to be anywhere or do anything. We just had fun.