What we really do on vacation// Snoqualmie Photographer Gretchen Fawn Photo

When you say vacation do you imagine endless hours of rest, fun and delicious food? I do too, but that's not always the reality. Traveling with kids makes it a whole different experience. We learn to sacrifice more. To be more patient when we are tired. To be willing to make the baby comfortable by giving him his own room so he can sleep. To tie our schedules even more closely to going to bed early. I guess it's a whole new definition of vacation.
 Sometimes I have to ask myself if it's worth it? Why did we come all this way just to do what we do at home? Sometimes it's overwhelmingly hard really. Well, now that two of our kids are in school full time, it's more precious to have this time away with them. It takes us out of our normal routines that are often really separate from them because their schedules are more full of school and work. It brings my husband home to just "be" in our daily world. It gives me time to notice things in the kids I may miss at home since I am busy with so much doing of my own.
 I can focus on the "daily things" in a new way without all my distractions.
 The tiredness really gets me. I have a dark and gloomy perspective when I get even less sleep than normal. My mind goes to the desperate place that I will never ever sleep again. But today I am trying to remember that I can and do function on little sleep, that this time with my bigger kids is fleeting, that the memories and pictures I want to take with them will be more precious to me in the years to come for a lot longer than some extra sleep.
 I have also been working on my Bible studies while I am here. We are missing one night of BSF so I have two lessons and am also studying the Sermon on the Mount. I knew that God would speak to me as I studied, even through my tiredness. And He did. My studies overlapped in a fascinating way and spoke to my heart about a few things I have really been struggling with in the last few years.
 So, vacation may mean different things to you and me. I don't get to spend my time on only rest and pleasure, though I want to, I do get to invest more in my family and my thoughts and study of God's Word.
 In the above pictures, I took a minute to document what was going on as we sat tired in our condo. We  put a mattress on the floor behind the couch so our teen had a place to sleep and our son made a fun game of laying on the couch and falling to the bed. He did it over and over. We all enjoyed this simple moment. Daddy and baby came and sat on the couch. The teens relaxed on their phones. It was semi peaceful and quiet and I do what I love, take pictures. This is life, real, hard, noise, not much space or time for self or rest, but life for the present season. I am sure many of you can relate and as a mom of older kids, grown kids, I can tell you these moments are fleeting and you will barely remember them. Take time to document some of these times, either with your iPhone or by a professional. I would love to come to you and take your family photos as you live your everyday moments.
 Until Next time,
 Gretchen Fawn Photo
Your Snoqualmie Photographer