And so it begins...

The morning sun is shining down on the steam rising off the lake, while in the other rooms the kids are still sound asleep. I want to capture every moment possible during these quiet times so that I have something I can look back on after this time has passed. After all the anxiety and anticipation, my brother's family arrived yesterday afternoon. My assumption was that there would be a short, awkward time of visiting, then they would leave the kids for another round of awkwardness. I couldn't have been more wrong. Maybe it was because I had such minimal expectations that I was so incredibly pleased with how it went. The awkward silence was buffered by my chatty sister-in-law. The kids were quiet at first, but quickly started to talk. We visited for over 90 minutes before we all went our separate ways. Even though it wasn't deep conversation, it was pleasant. To have my baby brother talk directly to me after all this time made my heart happy. About 5:30, we loaded the car and headed to Branson. For having pre-teens, I think Kent and I were both surprised to only be asked once "how long till we get there?" We shared occasional conversation, but mostly the kids listened to music, played on phones and ipads. It was fun for me just to watch them being kids. After getting into town, we stopped at Culver's for dinner. The kids had never been to a Culver's and thought it was pretty cool you could get so much ice cream at a burger place. Keep in mind, the town we are all from has a Mexican and pizza restaurant. Neighboring towns have a few more chains, but very old and common ones. I laughed a little on the inside as we finished dinner. I remember these kids who barely finished kiddie meals when you took them to eat. Now they eat like adults. What a change for me to see. Girls really do take a long time in the bathroom. I found myself getting worried and even double checking on my neice. I guess it is just that girls do girl things! Once we were in Branson, we started getting all sorts of questions. Where things were, what we were doing, where were we staying? The lights from afar had them buzzing. Their excitement was exciting for me. Our arrival at the condo was just as exciting. After we unloaded the car, everyone began exploring. We have a deck that looks out over the lake. There are 2 king beds and a fold out couch. We have a full kitchen, laundry room, living and dining rooms. As my nephew said to me, "it's like a house and better than a hotel." On inspection, the kids found the giant jetted tub and quickly determined they would both be using it. Hey, I don't care as long as they aren't stinky kids. They decided they would take alternate nights in the big king bed. As they saw the big bed, they both looked at me and simultaneously said, "we get that whole bed to ourselves?" So funny! Yes, a king bed with 5 pillows all to themselves. The lady who rents these condos to us is so kind and always takes care of us. She left a tray on the bed with cookies for the kids. They judiciously shared them, but were in aw of the idea that there were cookies on their bed for them. It is so cool to see things through the eyes of a child who has never seen them before. We made out the couch bed, where I got some time to watch the Disney channel with my neice. How cool is it that she was conent just to have me there watching tv with her? My nephew made his way to the giant tub. Midway through his bath, I realized I hadn't told him not to pour soap in the jetted tub. As I cracked the door so he could hear me, I heard him playing in the water and singing to himself. Ahh, there was the little kid I remember. I'm happy to report we did not have a bubble overflow either. At midnight, they were still going but I was exhausted. I crawled into bed feeling about as content as I could have. It brings tears to my eyes to even type that. I don't think there are words to describe just how happy I was. I had such fear and anxiety with minimal expectations. All that washed away while my expecations were exceeded. I can only credit God with how well things have gone. None of it was in my control and I was certainly given more than I deserve. Even today as I write this, I can't help but smile and be happy. We will have a full day today and I can't wait. I am still remembering to just live in the moment right now.