What a great weekend!

R says to me on the way home from the beach, "what a great weekend." It truly was. Pure blue sky, sun shine, fun with M and E all weekend. A weekend of family time was exactly what I needed.

As we were leaving Grand Haven beach around 5:00 I realized that the last two sunny seasons in a row, on any given day, I would have been heading to work. I realized right then that this Summer is going to be an entirely new experience for us. I felt so peaceful and happy when I realized how much my new job, our new routine has improved our lives. I can't count the days I would force myself to walk into work to serve vacationers dinner, while my family sat at home without me. How many days I wished I was watching the sunset, cradling my baby girl, camping or enjoying an ice cream cone. I can't count them all.

This Summer is going to be an entirely new experience us.

E not only splashed in the waves and shoveled the sand but rolled, crawled and ate it too. Last summer she stuck one finger in the beach sand and then fussed because she wanted nothing to do with the gritty stuff. Not this year. Our first family trip to Lake Michigan was entirely different. After figuring out how to walk on the soft sand she couldn't get enough of the sand her Daddy and big sister were digging. Soon enough the girls were sandy head to toe and flinging wet sand everywhere.

I really enjoyed watching my family dig and splash as I soaked up the sun. My biggest concern was soaking up the rays and believe it or not I did just that.

Having M this weekend was equally enjoyable. She always surprises me with her questions. I remember last Summer how sad she was as I would walk out the door to work, only seeing me each other for a short time. Today she asked me, "do you have to go to a coffee shop to work?" Luckily I found time to squeeze in some work related tasks before beach time and didn't need to leave. I couldn't anyways, especially after the her sweet heart melted mine! I love that she very politely shows her affection. I can't wait for our three week vacation with her!

Reflecting on where we were a year ago really puts our life into perspective. I will never take a day for granted as long as I reflect on how much we've changed and grown. I will never take for granted time with my family, my job, E's toddler days and days when R and I can just sit and enjoy our time together.

Keep Loving.