1st Ever Family Getaway

Yup. That's right. To Wade's and my knowledge, we have never taken a family vacation--even for a weekend--with just our family of 5. This past weekend marked our first. One night and 2 days at Wilderness Fellowship. We "camped" Little House on the Prairie style in a log cabin with no electricity (lanterns for light) and an outhouse for a bathroom. The kids loved sleeping in the loft--just like Mary and Laura. Abby admitted to being concerned that there would be no TV but was pleasantly surprised by how much fun she had. In her words, "I was afraid this was going to be the worstest day of my life, but it's not!" (By that, you'd never guess that we usually limit TV to an hour a day or less anyway.)

We all commented on how fun it was to spend this time together. We took a long hike through the mud, stomped in the puddles, played tether ball, read books, had family devotions, played card games, and had cookies and milk around the campfire. Emily also wanted me to mention that she started spelling words all on her own this weekend! We had brought small chalkboards just like the ones the kids on Little House used to do their homework on. Emily really went to town and was so proud to show us her work. (She was gearing up for Kindergarten round-up on Monday.) Way to go Em!

It was just nice to slow down and not have an agenda. Wade and I even got a nap or two. Probably the sweetest moment to me was when Wade was napping up in the loft by himself. As I was heading down the ladder, I witnessed little Nathan kneel down right beside Wade. He folded his hands, bowed his head and prayed, "Jeezus, tank You fo my Daddy." That is the first time I've ever heard Nathan pray without being prompted. Talk about melting my heart.

Thank You, Lord. We needed this weekend.