We had an wonderful time visiting my college roommate and her family in Shelburne, VT this past weekend. We spent the weekend playing with our little ones, riding big wheels to the playground and just being together enjoying the simplicity of parenthood.
Is parenthood ever simple? That’s a nice thought. Well going on a mini-vacation (once we made it to VT after incessant screaming. First the baby, most likely saying. “Feed me! Change me! Hold me!” Then the toddler, wrestling himself in his carseat, kicking the back of the drivers seat, repeatedly screaming. ”I want to get out of my car seat! I don’t like being buckled in!” Luckily this only lasted about an hour and a half of our four hour car ride. The situation could always be worse so I count my blessings when I can.) and the simple pleasures of country life mixed with the crisp Vermont air renewed our faith in parenthood, in being a family and we were able to breathe again.
One of the highlights of our trip was the Charlotte Tractor Parade, with over 200 tractors from the local towns. We enjoyed outdoor games, live music, and a circus performer (jumping through hoops of fire and balancing on a unicycle on top of a wire) and our first time having a fried potato on a stick (kind of like skewered circular french fries, every greasy bite delicious). As the parade was about to begin, we ventured to the tractor line-up, parked in a big open field and enjoyed the view atop a trailer. Heaven for little boys like my son. Benjamin was amazed at every front loader, tracked tractor, double-wide wheel tractor that rolled on by us with their larger-than-life muddy wheels and smiling farmers.
Beyond the tractors I was gazing at the Adirondack Mt. Range and loving every minute with my son. Charlotte was, that day,
the place where heaven and earth met.
