Friday, November 20, 2009

Retreat


Anna, by nature, is a high maintenance little girl.  Not that she is difficult (anymore!), but her personality just somehow seems to take over.  Once she gets going, she seems to run the show. I love that about her.  However, my heart lately had been longing for some uninterrupted time with my more laid back little lady who somehow seems to get less of me than her sister.  When an opportunity came up for Abigail and I to go on a mother/daughter retreat, I didn't blink twice.  We signed up and anxiously waited for Nov. 14th to arrive!  

After the initial disappointment of not getting to ride down to Grapeland, TX with some friends, she and I both got very excited about riding with just each other.  We mostly listened to Caddie Woodlawn, a must read by the way, and chatted here and there about how excited we were to be spending this time together.  

As we drove, I remembered that just a few weeks before, David had been out of town for several nights.  In an attempt to be more fun, I copied my friend Ami and let each girl stay up late and sleep with me one night.  The night before Abigail's turn, I asked her what was her favorite day ever and her answer was, "Tomorrow, because I get to hang out with only you all night."  Wow.  I had had no idea how much it meant to her.  As I thought about that, I also thought about how much a weekend like this would mean to any little girl.  To know that her mom set aside that time, just for her.  I think it was something Abigail (and I!) will always remember.


We played by the lake...


We sat by the campfire...


We shot a 22...


(We even hit our targets!)


We climbed a rock wall (Abigail made it all the way to the top!)


We went horseback riding...


We did a little archery...


We made yummy candied apples...well I did, anyway.  
Abigail was afraid they would be "too sweet".


We stayed up late with friends.
We went on the infamous "giant swing" which I talked Abigail into letting them swing us as high as it would go.  Oops.  Once they let us go I heard, "I do not like this.  I think I am going to throw up!"  I, of course, felt terrible.  The lady in charge happened to stop by to take pictures and felt so bad for Abigail that she said she could have a free light up necklace from the General Store.  The tears quickly dried up.  Very quickly, actually!

We had sessions in the chapel where we learned songs, saw funny puppets, and learned Bible lessons.

We loved spending time with some sweet friends, and making a couple new ones as well.  It was especially fun, for me, to see everyone (moms included!) all giddy & giggly as we stayed up late chatting that first night.

All too soon, it was time to head home.  As we drove and finished listening to Caddie Woodlawn, we decided that something was missing.  As much fun as we had (and we had A LOT!) we decided that next year, we'll invite Anna!

5 comments:

Alice said...

What an adventure! Abigail will never forget these special moments! I would like to start taking them out for a special memaw and granddaughter time sometime in the near future. I am not sure Anna will be all for it yet though. I love the way each girl sees life in their own special way!

Unknown said...

That's so sweet! We LOVE Caddie Woodlawn lots, too!!! What camp did you go to ~ we may copy you and your girlfriends and do some the same with some of our girlfriends ~ so wonderful to get away from the fast pace and just enjoy each other!!!

PS Glad you're blogging often ~ I love your posts!

Lane said...

Hey i just found your blog you have the cutest lil girls :)

Krista Sanders said...

How did I miss this post??? So great. I love all your pictures! Our tractor picture made the retreat advertisement for 2010! It was a great weekend and I enjoyed reading your inside scoop with Abigail. (Have you worn braids outside the house since?? Love them!)

Lilly said...

Hi, Shannon! Darling kiddos! The stacked arrows necklace sold out on the Noonday site, but I have my sample that I can sell you at a discount! You can email me at lillycneu @ gmail.com if you are interested and I will send you a picture and we can get it to you! Thanks for stopping by!