Gibson Getaway 2016

Here we are again. Another Gibson Family Getaway has come and gone. Spending my morning with coffee (thanks, Panera!), a quiet home (thanks, NaNa & G.G.!), and clean floors (thanks, me!). Between working on projects for our soon-to-be Second Grader & doing laundry, I'm taking a 'get energy' break.

Scrolling pictures & remembering St. Germain, 2016:

Remembering this independent, brave boy. Last year, he was afraid of the floating dock and was extremely hesitant to go on it unless someone was holding him.

This year, he owned that dock.

Duh, guys.

MiMi was smart and brought a kiddie pool - thanks to the hot and humid weather, Carter spent the rest of his vacation here :)

Water. Carter's happy place.

I hope Nozar and Linger have a place for the kiddie pool in the classroom.

:)

Remembering this dolly - who spent her vacation with dirt under her fingernails, chocolate on her face, and joy in her heart.

Happy Boy, happier every day. This is Carter.

Remembering quiet moments in 'MiMi geen boat!' with two kids who love the water and their mom.

Remembering hot afternoons spent with campfires (because, it's camp) and bubbles.

We discovered that Carter is an expert at catching bubbles on his hands. As much as the rest of us tried, we could not catch a single bubble without it popping. We got our hands good & wet, even...thinking that must be the trick.

Nope. It's just Carter's special touch.

Or maybe it was Giraffe.

Thankfully remembering so many moments with my people.

There's much good to reflect on. We don't just vacation, we fellowship. Tension & release.

This vacation had profitable tension.

Here's some of the tension:

Doesn't look tense, does it?

It was.

In the middle, you'll see a little boy smiling so sweetly. What you don't see is that before and after this picture, we had a nervous little boy telling us "Noooo! No sea plane! All done sea plane!".

The backstory: For Ben & Carter's birthday (in April & May) we combined their gift and gave them a certificate for a sea plane ride in St. Germain! We knew we'd have some work to do to prepare Carter, and we have been rehearsing this moment with him for months. Literally, since May.

Over the past 3 months, Carter's feelings toward 'sea plane' went from ecstatic to terrified, and everywhere in between. We really believed that if we could just get him ON, he would love it.

So here we are. On the dock. Waiting for 'sea plane' to pull up. Trying to reassure a nervous and scared little boy. He pauses his nervousness and takes a smiling photo for his mommy.

And then the sea plane pulls up to the dock. This is the moment of truth. This is the culmination of three months of preparation.

Major tension.

Can he do it? Will he even try? Can he be brave like he says? What if he doesn't? Will he regret it? How will his mommy feel if he doesn't do it?

What if? Then what?

Grabbing on to his daddy so very tight. His safety.

Saying 'nooo sea plane' but wanting to jump in so badly.

So much tension. Everyone is quiet, watching in anticipation.

Carter CAN.

Big smiles, birdie whistles (his happiest sounds), 'SEA PLANE!!!" exclamations from the backseat.

Big smiles and thumbs up from dad, too :)

As we watched him take off, conquering his great big fears, there were so many tears. Jake sent us excited videos and texts during their 15 minute flight. Carter owned that sea plane.

What excuse does anyone have to sit stagnant? What's holding me back from growing?

After the ride was over, we met the plane in the middle of the lake with our boat. Carter crossed the threshold from plane to boat in the arms of the pilot, Mr. Bill.

I'll never forget the celebration that took place on that boat when Carter's feet hit the boat.

Release.

Carter CAN. Carter will.

Since we were on the boat anyway, and Carter definitely earned it, (and Tom probably would have thrown a fit if we had just gone home) we decided to head to Cathy's for ice cream.  On the walk from the boat to Cathy's, Carter was levitating.

This is fellowship.

Laughter, ice cream, family love....all part of our release.

To add to it, we hit a rain storm on the way home.

We were all soaked from head to toe - all of us laughing so hard our sides hurt. Even the kids.

Gibson Family Getaway, 2016. Possibly the best one to date.

This was the first group picture I took. Normally I have to take at least 25 to get one good shot.  I guess we get better every year.

Understanding each other, understanding ourselves, embracing the tension & enjoying the release.

This is family.

One Thing I Know For Sure: Gibson's CAN.

If you're bored and have several hours to kill:
St. Germain 2015
St. Germain 2014
St. Germain 2013
St. Germain 2012
St. Germain 2011


:)