Laughing over fries

I had the most enjoyable dinner last night than I've had in a while. Considering my kitchen is a mess and I had a huge headache, I decided that cooking was not on my schedule. Therefore, I piled the kids in the car (small pile, considering there is only 2) and we went to Arctic Circle. Usually when eating fast food, we order, eat at lightning speed, and head home. Since it was just me and the kids, we ordered, sat, and took a REALLY long time to eat. This was partly because we had no where to be right then and the kids really wanted an oreo shake that could only be obtained by eating the majority of their food. So, we ate and talked and laughed quite a bit more than we have in a while.

With school running me in circles and keeping me busy, we've stumbled into a rut with our conversations, schedules, and habits...a very disorganized, unstructured rut. So, last night, at our table, my mood went from tired and stressed to smiling and joking with my kids. It was a wonderful feeling. I actually realized that I had missed them. Sure, I had seen them everyday, but lately it was over my calculus book, getting them ready for bed, or through the backdoor watching them play in the water. While just chatting with them, my eyes were reopened to just how wonderful they are...funny, smart, and always saying I love you with their eyes. I was even rewarded with a few belly laughs.

I have a long 1 and 1/2 years ahead of me with graduation and grad school. I hope that I can remember to regularly stop, see my kids, and share a laugh with them. It makes me feel great when my son asks me to say or do something funny, because it means that he believes that I am capable of being one of the funniest people he knows. What's better than that?