A Mini Adventure
It’s been at least a month since we’ve gone on an adventure in the airplane. We’ve realized that schedules and naps really are important and trying to do anything with a cranky, sleep-deprived child really isn’t fun. More and more, our priority has changed from accomplishing something to having a good day with a happy baby.
But, just because we aren’t going flying or hiking, doesn’t mean we aren’t having fun. Most of what excites us now-a-days can’t be captured with stunning pictures or measured by distance traveled. It’s more of a personal sense of excitement, and, for us, these new adventures are some of the best we’ve had. Cold days spent inside watching Atlee struggle to stand, then finally succeeding, or watching her daintily pick up food with her thumb and index finger are hugely satisfying, not to mention getting the girl to giggle. That takes the cake. It’s all so fullfilling and brings so much joy to our life.
Before I had Atlee, I wanted to make sure we had good childcare lined up, so Woodsen and I could continue our pre-baby lives and go biking and exploring at our old pace. I was excited to have a baby but didn’t want to let go of all the good things in our DINK (double income no kids) phase of life. As soon as she was born, that all changed; my kid was a joy, and I wanted to be around her. I didn’t want to leave her to go do something that couldn’t be adapted to include her. We settled into this new season and accepted life at a slower pace and realized it was so much better then we could have imagined.
That being said, its not always smiles and achievements. There are frustrating days when even my goals: to shower, go for a walk, and make dinner, can’t really happen.
This adventure started on one of “those” days. We had great intentions of getting out of the house early, but after naps, miscommunication, and plenty of frustration, we ended up getting to the airport at sunset. We headed to get gas, but our normal fuel station was out of service, and our second choice had been removed sometime that summer. I was ready to give up and go home! Thankfully, Woodsen doesn’t give up as easily. We flew to Merrill to get gas before finally getting out of Anchorage.
After all the delays, we were happy to catch the tail end of a beautiful sunset.
Atlee wasn’t very happy till we leveled off and got to sit in the front seat with her papa.
“Don’t worry, Dad, I got this!”
We landed at Will & Goldie’s strip since we weren’t sure how thick the ice was – the rock we dropped fell in the grass! The ice was dusted with snow, but great for skating.
We did it! We got out of the house and went on a little adventure. Sometimes you have to face defeat and accept the fact that maybe, maybe you take more time to get out the door than you realize. However, when taken in stride, those failures make you more thankful for the little trips that you do make it on.
We ended our mini adventure at the Moose’s Tooth, and Atlee was a fan. A huge fan. It’s a proud moment when you realize your daughter likes something just as much as you do. 🙂
She has changed our lives incredibly, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. Love that girl!
