The Way Sunday Afternoons "Should" Be

This was a great Sunday afternoon...the way Sunday afternoons "should" be. There was no small group tonight (we don't meet one Sunday a month) and it was wonderful. Don't get me wrong, I love our church, and I love our small group, but it was so nice to just have a break.

We got home from church this morning and I sat my family down to a lunch of sandwiches, feeling a little guilty that's all it was. Conner came to the table, looked at his plate, and said, "Wow, Mom, this is a great-looking lunch!" That's just what I needed to hear when I needed to hear it! It's easy to forget that what may be a boring or disappointing meal to us may be the best thing ever to the kids -- certainly better than the roast or chicken fried steak that I was wishing we had. Thank you, Conner, for reminding me to appreciate simplicity.

After lunch is always naptime for Micah. He laid down easily. Conner no longer takes naps, but we decided we might give it a try today. We let him lay in our bed to watch a movie, Bret laid on the couch and watched his own movie, and after playing on the internet for a little while, I decided to go lay down with Conner. Two hours later, we all woke up. That never happens -- and it's actually probably the last time it will happen for quite a while. It was so nice!

Meanwhile, it was a beautiful day outside today. We had been talking about going out and doing something at lunch. Feeling refreshed after our naps, but needing to hurry before it started cooling off and getting dark, we threw clothes on the boys, gave them a quick snack, and headed to the lakefront. I'm so glad we did. It was a gorgeous day, and we had a blast. We, of course, spent most of the time on the playground:

Then the boys played a little bit of soccer.Micah took a break from soccer to watch the water and throw some leaves.
Meanwhile, Conner and Bret made some friends.
Then, as the sun began to set, we decided it was really probably time to go -- but not without taking a few more pictures!

Bret preached a series of sermons on Sabbath about a year ago. He talked about how we often consider Sunday the Sabbath, but schedule ourselves to death and never get any actual rest. He also talked about how the Sabbath isn't just about rest in and of itself, but about doing things we enjoy and find restful in God. It was nice to have a Sunday that actually felt like a Sabbath day, the way it "should" be -- resting with God and those I hold dearest.