Before I know it, both boys will be at college this fall and it will just be Natalie and I at home. When you’re the youngest, you haven’t experienced the only child world until the rest move away.
This weekend, we got a little taste of what’s to come. Natalie and I headed to Fargo on Friday for her soccer tournament. This meant lots of hours in the car, two nights in a hotel, lots of sunshine and even more laughs.
First off, Natalie has a wide range of musical tastes. We sang along with show tunes, some songs I had never heard of and cruised into Fargo belting out the songs from her “Camp Grace Bops” playlist of music from years of attending Camp Grace Christian Camp.
We also tried to only eat at restaurants she hadn’t tried or we don’t have locally. Friday evening we hit Panera Bread when we got to town. Natalie is now a huge fan of the chicken and wild rice soup there.
Saturday’s lunch was during a longer break between soccer games so she didn’t want to eat too heavy. We hit up Juice It for acai bowls. When she was done playing for the day, she was starving and really wanted pancakes. So we headed to Denny’s. I was surprised I had never taken her to Denny’s before.
Sunday we ate from the cooler we packed until we left town. We stopped at Chipotle when we left. I am a huge fan of Chipotle. Natalie discovered it wasn’t her favorite.
In between water breaks, soccer games and not nearly enough sunshine, we enjoyed uninterrupted time together. We watched WNBA basketball, laughed about snacking in bed and had down time together.
By Sunday night we were sunburned and exhausted. But it was worth it.
When Natalie was born, Brady was already in activities. From birth, she has been running to their activities or eventually her own. But even then, it was balancing several kids’ activities at once.
While having both the boys away starting this fall it’s hard because I love having my kids around, even on days they push every button. I am looking forward to spending a lot more quality time with Natalie.
This new adventure will be a change for both of us. And having only girls in the house will add an entirely new dimension to it. But I’m ready for the adventure. I’m ready for more WNBA games and NWSL games. I’m ready to try and keep up with the latest women’s sports trades instead of video game changes or Pokemon news.
Don’t get me wrong, I completely expect my boys to call me with news from their world once in a while. But with only one at home and knowing how quickly that goes, I’m going to soak up all these mom/daughter moments.
