Saturday Mornings--Part 1 in a Series

I really like mornings. I especially like Saturday mornings. I like a Saturday morning where we have no plans, or at least not any until later in the day. That gives us the freedom to take things a little slower. Aaron doesn't have to hurry off to work. We are able to sit down together and enjoy breakfast, my favorite meal of the day. Sometimes we go out. Sometimes we stay in. Sometimes Aaron lets me sleep in and he takes the kids out by himself. Sometimes everything goes perfectly and we enjoy our coffee in the warm, morning light, while the kids play together like angels. Other times we get up from the table 27 times before we even get a bite of our eggs and our coffee is ice cold by the time we drink it. Sometimes Saturday mornings are loud. OK, most times. Sometimes they are quiet. OK, hardly ever.

No matter what it is that we do, Saturday mornings have their own rhythm. They are an important part of our family life and so I decided to do a series about them. I have taken pictures of the last 3 Saturday mornings, and I will continue to post about them on occasion.

What are your weekend rituals? Do you think about them, or do they just happen? I have always loved traditions. I think it is important to make them a part of everyday life, not just part of holidays. It is these little moments from childhood that my children will take into their adulthood. I want them to be special. Not extraordinary--but still special.

Welcome to our Saturday mornings.

There is a donut shop near our house. Martha's Donuts. Before we moved here, I remember driving by it and I always liked the building. You can tell it has been there a long time. And I like the name. It seems like a funny name for a donut shop.

Sometimes we go there on Saturday mornings. The boys think it is the ultimate treat. They ride their bikes and we push Lilly in the stroller. The kids all wear their pajamas.

When we get there, the boys go right up to the window and eye all the choices. Martha's Donuts is eat outside only. You look through the window from the outside and never go in at all. I've never been to a donut shop like that. I think it's old school and I like it.

It is usually a difficult decision. But also exciting.

In the end, it is always something with sprinkles. Because really, who doesn't love sprinkles?

We also like to get an orange juice to balance all the sugary sweetness from the donuts. They never finish their donuts, but we always finish the juice.

The first time we went to Martha's was right before escrow closed on our house. The family selling the house wanted to meet us, the new family moving in. It was a very sweet and touching day. You can read about it here.

By the time we were done at the house, the kids were pretty tired, but they had been troopers the whole time we were there. So we decided to stop for a treat at Martha's. While we sat at the one table, enjoying rainbow sprinkles and oj, one of the brothers we had just met, walked up for a donut and a cup of coffee. He had grown up in that house, this neighborhood. "I used to come here for donuts on my way to school all the time, " he told us. Now his father was gone and he and his brothers were selling their family home. And there he was, back at Martha's Donuts, one of his childhood haunts.

Perhaps it sounds silly, but I knew right then that Martha's was going to become a part of our life. It already had. I am not really a fan of donuts. I am really not a fan of giving my kids donuts. But I am learning it is OK to loosen up sometimes. And so, sometimes, we go to Martha's Donuts on a Saturday morning.

I like the chocolate old fashioned.

But those boys like sprinkles.