Mother's Day In Mother Nature

On Mother's Day weekend, our family shook the dust off our eight-person tent and camping gear, and set off for the woods. Four other families joined in for a night and we enjoyed the slow evening cooking comfort food under the stars. An indie folk band and crackling fire whispered softly in our ears as we fed our children and compared our favorite embarrassing dance moves (think "the lawnmower). We caught up about life, and pinned Baby's Breath in our hair, and attempted a drum circle celebrating women of the world. 

But not every moment was romantic like we envisioned. Toddler's cried and some didn't eat. More than a few kids fell down in the dark and I think every parent pleaded the phrase, "don't touch the Poison Oak!" at least 25 times. But there was something magical in the simplicity of the night. While other families were home watching TV, we were after something a little bit different. Something with adventure. Something with a challenge and a little more excitement. And perhaps being in Mother Nature on Mother's Day felt a little more real as well. Someday when I look back at my first few years as a mother, oh I hope I'll remember waking up with a sore back and Little Butterfly in my arms, opening her bright eyes and announcing, "I'm in a tent! I hear birds! I see trees!"