A Beautiful Reminder

It's been a bit of a busy week. Taking care of two sick kids, and trying to keep myself healthy at the same time is no easy feat. Plotting and planning along the way of things that need to be done, could be done, and will be done. I do feel overwhelmed, as it's a big move, 4 1/2 hours away.
Last weekend D & I had an opportunity to spend some time together, just the two of us. Mr & H had headed home early, and left us @ Gramma's for the day on our own. I decided to let him lead the way for the day. He took us to the park, then on down to the river, where we met up with Grandpa, who was fixing his rowboat. We skipped some rocks, swung on the fab rop swing, raced up and down the river bank, collected nice rocks, and ate pancake sandwiches before deciding to head to the Sandbar, about a mile or so up the river. We walked, and then rowed across. D had fun, I told him we were explorers, and boy did he ever let his imagination go with the flow. It was sweet, each branch was some new foe to surpass, and each bend in the path a new goal to reach. I love his imagination.
Once we got over the river to the place we were headed to, we started getting things ready for a bonfire. D helped me build a fire pit, then got right on gathering dried grasses, and deadfall from the nearby forest floor. While we were scavenging, we discovered a huge sand dune that was absolutely pristine, and called with an unresistable voice to D to go and jump all over it. He had a ton of fun rolling down the hill, climbing and pretending he was in quicksand, and stranded in the desert, and jumping and rolling. It was so much fun just to watch him enjoy being a kid. I really love these times together, and I'm really hoping that we'll have more opportunities like these together. It reminded me of when I was his age. I wasn't satisfied until every part of my body was coated in dust & dirt & grime. I loved playing in the great outdoors and getting as mucky as possible, and I can certainly see that in him. Once we finally got the fire going, he was having a blast keeping it going, exploring the riverbank, and fishing with Grandpa. he even found a dead fish skeleton that was all dried out. He was fascinated by the anatomy of a fish, and was amazed at just how sharp their teeth are, for being a salmon. He eventually burned the main body, but kept the bottom jaw bone to show his dad his new "saw" because the teeth, he discovered, could cut through wood ;o) No, that's not in his mouth, it's about a good 6 inches away from his face, the depth doesn't show though.
By the end of the day he was exhausted, asking me if he could just sit and watch a movie and relax when we got back to Gramma's. He even asked me to blog about the day, because it was so great, and he wanted to remember it. I can't remember the last time we had such fabulous fun together, and I can't wait for more days like this. The days where he can just be a kid, and I don't have to feel like I need to constantly correct his behavior. The kind of days where I remember what it was like when I only had him, and I could devote my every waking minute to making him happy.