The Hills Are Alive...

...with the cries of freezing children.

Tyler's tennis was canceled this morning, due to last night's rain. Instead, we stayed in bed most of the morning. Around noon, we decided to venture from our house and get some fresh air and exercise by hiking "the dish".

We were so prepared. Tyler put air in the strollers' tires. I packed snacks and warm clothing for the kids. In my mind, I pictured our little family happily hiking the hills, enjoying nature - our own little version of the last scene in The Sound of Music.

It started out well. I even had the luxury of pushing an empty stroller up the first segment of hill, watching Ava run alongside Tyler and Lilly. Before I knew it, she was tired and both children were crying about how cold they were. We took off our sweatshirts to blanket over the girls, but they still cried. By the time we got to the highest point, I wanted to cry too. It was C-O-L-D! We turned around and quickly jogged back to the warmth of the car.

Was the excursion anything like I envisioned? No. It was a funny adventure, nonetheless. I don't know why I let myself get caught-up in visions of perfect family moments, like something from the movies...something I know is not real. Real families have to deal with things like weather, fussy kids, potty breaks, puke, and all things unexpected. Occasionally, we have moments that feel better than the movies, when we're doing something as a family and I'm caught off-guard by the beauty of life. These moments cannot be planned, and their unexpectedness is what adds to their beauty. I live for these moments.