Kate Wicker

Storyteller & Speaker

7 Quick Takes: The Waning Summer Edition

I mentioned here that my family recently spent a few days at the beach. The trip was more than a vacation; it was a renewing retreat for one burnt out mama.

Every day the girls and I ventured out onto the powdery sand. I walked side-by-side ambling children who smelled of salt and sunshine. With the Gulf on my skin and sand between my toes, I had nowhere to go. There was ample time to inspect every shell, every speck of sand, every scurrying crab we stumbled upon during our unhurried bumbling.

We savored the last juicy slices of watermelon. Melting ice cream dribbled down our chins. We wrapped our arms around the waning summer for one final fling.

We dawdled. We napped. We chased birds, crabs, and rolling waves. We read Stuart Little and books about the ocean. We laughed.

We lived.

Lightness. It was everywhere I went. There was no technology to distract me. The only tweets I noticed belonged to birds flying around me. I allowed myself to be playful, to be fully present in my own and my children’s lives. I gave myself permission to ignore any worries lurking in my heart, to stop thinking so much and to just let the sunshine, my children’s laughter, the feel of hot sand beneath my bare feet, and the awareness of God’s love and presence in my life to fill me up.

As I packed our bags and prepared for the trip home, I found myself thinking about how it wasn’t so much the beach or even the change of scenery that relaxed me. It was really the shift of my focus from doing, doing, doing to just being that gave way to the best summer vacation of all.

Now our interlude in pictures… (Because the grandparents have been asking to see some. The rest of you who could care less about staring at my offspring can click on over to Conversion Diary for far more interesting Quick Takes.)

~1~

Gooey baby grins (see all that drool?)

~2~

Now she’s happy…

~3~

Now she’s not…

~4~

When did my baby girl get so old?

~5~

I’m struggling in the witty caption department (obviously), so I’ll go with something generic: Digging her way to China…

~6~

Okay, so even on vacation I have to multitask just a little. Here I am reading, nursing, and flying a kite (notice the thin kite string traveling to the left from my hand). And, yes, that man next to me is my husband. This is a rare snapshot of him on my blog. What’s really unheard of is that both of us are actually enjoying reading books at the same time. (Thank you, Nana and Pop.)

~7~

Since I’ve already blown my husband’s cover, here’s a family photo where none of our eyes are closed. And no one is crying. And almost everyone (with the exception of the baby) is smiling. And no one is picking their nose. Amazing. Miracles happen every day, and sometimes you can even catch them on camera.

As always, thanks to Jen’s Conversion Diary for hosting Friday’s Quick Takes.

Comments

  2. Looks like you've found your Christmas card picture! I wish I could have the miracle of a "successful" family picture. Love the picture of Maddy in her polka dot dress. She looks so grown-up. Also love your multi-tasking picture. The only time I get to read People mag. is when Rin is nursing. Now that she's down to 3 times a day, I'm 7 issues behind!

  3. Ok, between yesterday (where my status was going to be "Can anyone's kids be more beautiful and cute than Katie's" after watching the girls at Good Shepherd)and today's post, it's official….you have THE MOST gorgeous family. Love the pics of Maddy, Rachel, and ME….wow. And, your multi-tasking pic…that is HYSTERICAL. You need to send that into a contest, or with an article at Faith and Family Live.

    Love you!!!

  4. Love, love love the family!

    I agree that this is a great option for your Christmas card!

    And I'm so glad you're feeling refreshed. :)

  6. I'm glad you were able to relax and have such a wonderful time with your family. Your family is beautiful, Kate. Such blessings!

  7. Wonderful post, I'm glad you had a wonderful restorative vacation. And far less silly about the fact that the best family photo we got from our recent vacation has a tell-tale string in my hand going off-frame. Be well.

  9. You have such a beautiful family! And such a mom thing to hold the kite, feed the baby, and turn it into a great reading moment. Kudos and congrats.

  10. So glad you got some time to relax and enjoy the beauty of life. I love the family photo…so cute.

  12. What a beautiful family photo. And I love the one of you multi-tasking. It looks like a great vacation!

  15. The beach is my favorite way to rediscover a bit of *calm*

    You have a beautiful family … loved that last photo!

  17. I LOVE the family pic! It's awesome, definitely a framer! The kite flying cracks me up. Kate=SuperMom

“She could never be a saint, but she thought she could be a martyr if they killed her quick.”

―Flannery O'Connor