It is hard to grasp how time is flying by when you are knee deep in dirty laundry, overwhelmed by your kid's homework, and inundated with birthday party invites.
We seem to be perpetually on the move, starting with everyone getting to where they need to go, work, picking everyone up, making dinner, going over homework, bathing, and bed. Where is there just time to just be?
Of course, we do find the time to just be, just not always when we want to or when we plan it but somehow in our crazy, hectic schedules we find the time we need.
Over the weekend we went kite flying. Now, in Ohio, this should be done in October - apparently. As I am not a kite flyer, the Husband (who apparently was/is) spent many a fun fall afternoon with a kite made of wood, soaring high above the ground told me so. I believe him but there seems to be some inconsistency around the nation. National Kite Flying Day seems to February 8 which is downright crazy in Ohio and the month dedicated to kite flyers is April. I tend to lean towards the Husband's take since he actually flew a kite in Ohio.
The grandparents were in town and they got the kids their first kites. They were beside themselves with excitement and it was all either could talk about for d-a-y-s.
I always wanted a kite but, alas, that is not one of my memories from childhood. I am not surprised at this as I watched the Husband run several hundred feet, trying to get the kite to take flight, and watching it flutter to the ground when he stopped running. My parents were not runners.
As I watched the Husband try to teach the fine art of kite flying to our son, it dawned on me that there was not much of a breeze. You have no idea how this surprised me because the park we were at is right off Lake Erie and there always seems to be a breeze coming off the water.
What did occur to me was that the kids were just having fun running around a great big grassy field, on a sunny day, trying to fly a kite. All they cared about was that they were somewhere, with the family, and having a great time.
I also learned that Baby (who I will now be calling RD since she is four) has a fierce determination to keep going, even if she does not master it. She always wants to do things on her own, but seeing her figure things out on her own made me so proud.
My tween, despite being not very athletic, has so much energy that he can run circles around the Husband. He showed a determination I have never seen in something that requires such physical exertion. I loved seeing him so sweaty and out of breath. Sure he was disappointed that the kite did not fly high in the sky but that did not stop him.
As we were leaving the park they were trying to extract exactly when we would be returning. Soon was not the answer they were looking for but they settled for it.
The best part of the whole day was that we got to just be, in the sunshine and together.
