Giving Thanks for... (871-880)

871. Anything water-related for children during hot weather - squirt guns, inflatable pool, sprinklers, etc.
872. Long holiday weekends
873. The kids fishing with Dan in the pond he grew up on
874. The first high-school graduation for a niece/nephew!
875. Fresh herbs from the garden
876. Fans and air-conditioning
877. The chance to still do editing projects here and there
878. The fun of moving furniture around for a new look (Dan is groaning right now, I'm sure...)
879. No more poison ivy itching!!
880. Small communities - both geographically and in church

Something's missing...

Happy Memorial Day Weekend, everyone!

Thought for the Day

"In the dim twilight, I often see pairs of Canada geese on the grass near the parking lot.... Today there are three couples. One of the females is eating grass, and her mate is a few feet away, keeping a vigil, on the lookout for any danger. I watched their interaction. It is minimal in its movements but intense in its awareness, one of the other. When one makes an adjustment, the other notices and immediately makes a compensatory shift. To an insensitive eye, these changes in direction of the body, of the head, might seem random, but I know differently, for this is a couple mated for life, and I had mated for life and had known and experienced as one does when one knows that the marriage is for life that the shifts and gestures need only be small. The intimacy of the relationship becomes this fine essence, a distillation of the earlier passion, but just as powerful. In the marriage that endures, there is no need for grandiosity."

(Sandy Broyard, Standby)

Giving Thanks...(861-870)

861. Playdates that make me socialize with other moms (not something I naturally do)

862. Glorious late spring sunshine, which means spending every waking hour outside

863. The last day of preschool 

864. Baby birds in the nests around the house - lots of peeping, clucking, and ruffling going on. Can you see the babies peeking out?

865. Jack's happy, healthy third birthday

 

 

 

866. Adele's ballet recital - she sure loves the costumes and the lipstick!

867. The times when Adele and Jack love each other's company

 

868. Bedtime book reading

869.  Salad straight from the garden

870. The rainbow of colors at the garden shop's flowerland

Happy Birthday, Jack!

To my little guy who is turning 3,

Your mama wants you to slow down just a bit. 

Otherwise, soon you won't love giving kisses. You won't pat my face and whisper, "Hi Mama" while your sister says her bedtime prayers. You won't plop down next to your daddy and say, "Let's visit!". You won't call them "underalls," "hydrant fires," or "cob on the corn." You might not yell instead of talk, and put full passion into everything you do. You won't say "Thanks, Mom!" when I buy the most basic of groceries. You won't be so excited that you were "a nice boy!!!" at church or a concert or any other quiet situation. You might not be as mournfully, truly repentant when you've been naughty.

So, sure, someday soon you might not flood the bathroom, wear diapers, eat giraffe food at the zoo, or tantrum like it's nobody's business, but I'll sure miss this adorable side of you.  

XXOO

Mama

Giving Thanks...(851-860)

841. This post (especially Exhibit C)
842. When rain and sunshine both come on the same day
843. Dan be back home after 9 days away
844. His face and the kids' faces at the airport
845. Anti-itch cream (for poison ivy!)
846. Seven happy, blessed years of marriage
847. Firepit discussions - there's something about talking in the dark, isn't there?
848. My mom's advice and encouragement and friendship
849. My mother-in-law's encouragement and involvement in our lives, even tho' she's still working
850. That it's time to get out to the greenhouses for flowers

Giving Thanks for...(841-850)

841. Parents who are able and willing to take our kids for several days
842. Meeting new little cousins (or first cousins once removed, I think?) for the first time
843. Evening talks with my cousin Nigel & his wife Caroline - kindred spirits of ours
844. Old cathedrals
845. The chance to see ruins in England that were originally built the same time that Christ walked on earth. Just blows my mind!
846. Free art exhibits in the middle of Schipol airport - what a brilliant idea!
847. Watching Dan during his first experience in a pub with fish-n-chips, smashed peas, and local beer
848. The perspective that comes with being away for a few days
849. The happy faces of my kids at the airport
850. The beautiful quote at the end of this post. What a seemingly unattainable vision, and yet I'm inspired by the thought. Love it.