Come away with me! Yesterday, I shared about how our family needed some time to just be together in a relaxed environment, rather than the hustle and bustle that we’ve had going on here lately. I asked my husband to plan an outing for us, which is completely not in line with my personality, as I usually prefer doing anything related to planning. My idea was to get us all some time together, but also to be intentional about moving away from perfection and toward authenticity. Our grand adventure was a huge success - so much so that at the end of the day, I asked him if we could extend our down time for a second day. So, come away with me, through a second day of adventure and fun!
After arriving home from a wonderfully relaxing day together, we quickly made plans for a second day. We gave the kids a couple of options of things to do, and they agreed on the beach. We packed up things we needed after they went to bed, so we could get a moderately early start in the morning.
I love the colors you see at the beach - the clear, blue sky, the white waves as they build and break, the vivid umbrellas of every color imaginable, hats in all shades and sizes!
The kids enjoyed playing in the water, near the water, by the water, and digging holes in the sand. They started building sand castles, but they were too fascinated with the shells, the crabs near the water, body parts of crabs that they found in the sand and surf. Between horseshoe crabs on the first day and smaller varieties of crabs on the second day, we had a lot of opportunities to compare the different varieties we saw.
The beach got a little warm when the sun came out from behind the clouds, so both boys decided to dig themselves a hole in the sand in hopes of staying a little cooler (I highlighted the guy on the left so you can be sure to see him - he couldn’t find himself too easily in the photo). 
It gave Tim and me a few minutes to sit and catch our breath since we knew the boys weren’t going anywhere for awhile.
Despite the fact that the water was chilly, the kids really seemed to enjoy being in the water and jumping in the waves. Tim was brave and dared to enter the icy waves to hold a nervous hand and keep an eye on brave wave-jumpers!
We all enjoyed the relaxed, low-key day at the beach. At one point we told the kids that we were going to get ready to leave in a little bit. Clearly they weren’t ready because the younger two started asking to go back to the water again! They stayed in for quite a while before deciding that they were cold and maybe even a little bit hungry.
After grabbing a bite to eat, we explored other parts of the state park, including some science centers. I’ll admit, the science centers are not my thing, but I loved watching our guy - he had some questions about some of the fish in the tanks, and neither Tim nor I knew the answer. I suggested he ask the lady who was working there, as she would probably know. He walked over to where she was, waited for her to finish a conversation with a couple of other people, and then when she turned to him, he said, “I have a question about some of the fish in the tanks,” and with that, they were off to check out the tanks and learn about the fish. I had to chuckle - after they were done looking at the fish, our son started asking about some of the turtle shells and horseshoe crab shells that were laying on a table. I could see the lady almost-visibly flinch each time he picked up a shell. She was great about the situation, though, and just carefully moved her hands to protect the shell in case he dropped it.
Our last stop of the day was the Barnegat Lighthouse. I guess I dozed on and off during the drive to the lighthouse, so when we arrived, I planned to stay in the van with one or two kids who weren’t interested in climbing the lighthouse. All 3 kids wanted to go, and we discussed the height, the fact that if they started the climb, they’d need to go all the way up. I got to continue resting in the van (Tim is so good to me!) while he climbed the lighthouse. When they got back to the van, I found out that one little Princess had not climbed any stairs - not up the lighthouse, or down the lighthouse. Yet when they got to the top, I was able to see her walking around. One awesome daddy carried a scared little girl who really wanted to go to the top, but was a little afraid to climb by herself. Up 217 stairs, and down 217 stairs. Love that man!!
And the time away, with just our family, really did help me to focus on loving them, and their individuality, rather than just completing the necessary tasks of parenting. But even more than that, the time away helped me to relax, to be able to do without a set plan, and thrive in the environment. I’m grateful for a husband who is opposite of me in so many ways, but uses his strengths to help me focus on living authentically (a very-real, not-always-pretty-but-always-pretty-awesome life), rather than living perfectly!
