We decided to take the weekend and get away somewhere. We have friends (Scott & Amy) that live in Michigan that we're really close to so we decided to go visit them. On the way back we stayed in a hotel in Mackinac City....which I'll post about later ;)
We had a great time visiting with them. They are great friends and it's neat that Amy & I are friends and Dan & Scott are friends....so it usually ended up being Scott & Dan off doing their thing and chatting and Amy & I doing our own thing and chatting. They have a little boy Taden and it was neat watching him & Jaxon interact.
While we were driving we were talking about ways we can stay connected during these parenting years. You hear of a lot of couples who's kids grow up and leave home and then the mom & dad realize they don't know each other anymore. I can totally understand how easy it would be to let that happen with the busyness of everything and the attention and focus that kids take...and that scares me! I really don't want to be one of those couples. At this point Dan & I are best friends and I really hope to be able to say that in 20 years.
One thing we decided to do is to go on a date after Jaxon goes to bed once or twice a month. Even if it's just for an hour or two.
Another thing we want to try is have "couch time". I found this in a book. The idea is to commit the first 15 minutes that Dan gets home from work together on the couch, to talk about our day...free from interruptions and distractions. Once the kids are old enough to understand, we'll explain to them that that time is our time and they can play with Daddy when we're done. I think this will be hard to get into the habit of, since I'm usually making supper and/or feeding Jaxon when Dan gets home, but we really like the idea and we're going to give it a try. I don't know about you, but habits (good ones) are really hard for us to implement so we'll see how it goes :)
havin a little nap in the car
Jax chillin' out with Dad. He was so content to just lay on the couch (watching sports of course).
they're special.
little buddies :)
Jaxon's first bath with a friend!
Josiah and I have also both been talking about how to stay connected during these busy parenting years. Korban is over 1 and we've only been out on a "just us" date once. We have no family, so it makes it harder to know what to do with Korban. I read in a book to plan a day each month as date night. Or, what works best for us, is afternoons. It doesn't seem like much, but a date a month is something to look forward to!! So we're starting that, and will see how it goes. :) The couch time is a neat idea too.
ReplyDeleteHappy Anniversary!!
I like the couch time idea but don't be afraid to be a bit flexible with it. I don't know if Craig and I could do the first 15 minutes after he gets home. I've heard that guys aren't always "home" the moment they walk through the door. They actually might not be able to sit down and have a chat at that exact moment. So if you end up finding it hard what about right after supper, or right after Jaxon goes to bed?
ReplyDeleteHappy Anniversary! I'm glad that you were able to get away to celebrate. That hotel sounds like one we stayed at in the same city on our way to Wisconsin once. I wonder if it's the same one. I have trouble having good attitudes about hotels too. It's just so much money to put toward something that doesn't always meet expectations. I've had to make the conscious decision to be joyful and enjoy the company more than the decor. :) I love the couch time idea. Lindsay will probably love it too with hockey playoffs right now...I'm just joking. I'm going to suggest we try it out. It would be good for the kids to see us interact. Right now our favourite time for meaningful conversation is as we are getting ready for bed. I think I can concentrate better knowing that the kids are in bed and I am more off duty...more on call then I guess. :)
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