Why Every Boy Needs a Dog

 When you have a runny nose yet no tissues or long sleeves to wipe it with, a puppy dog tail makes a very soft and convenient hanky!

(Poor Hudson--Tim, upon realizing that Hudson was being used as a tissue quickly rescued him from this situation).



A Book in a Day

Right after he finished his schoolwork today, John Caden went and got one of The Boxcar Children books out of the bookcase and didn't put it down until he finished reading the whole thing!  It came with him to the kitchen island at lunch, to Mommy's room for afternoon exercises, into the car to carry Anna to gymnastics, to Target, etc.  I was rather jealous--wish I could squeeze reading an entire book into my day!

from finding joy: why vacuuming should always be beautiful.

 

Love these thoughts from Rachel at finding joy:

"As I held the vacuum, still running, my eyes welled up with tears. When did I lose the beauty in this normal, even though the normal like today was frustrating? When did the gift of having children in my home get lost and I instead just wanted every little thing perfect and tight and without mess?

Sadly, it's often when we lose the things that matter that we regain the perspective of just how much those things, those people, matter to us. It baffles my mind how quickly I lose sight of the joy in the gifts in life that are smack in front of my face. But, how to keep it? Keep vacuuming beautiful. Choose something, a daily task - laundry, dishes, folding clothes, picking up - and make it a benchmark, a reminder, for you to remember the preciousness of the life that you have in front of your face. And make it something that is the most unglamorous. I've found that when you lose normal you miss those things the most and long for the days when you can simply vacuum a room with your seven year old sitting on the bed cleaning beside you.

Don't let the mundane moments in life rob you from the beauty of normal that surrounds you. Remind yourself to look for the beauty, the gems that are tucked within the fabric of the everyday normal. Force yourself to wake up, to see, the remember, and to be thankful for the blessings that fill your life.

Vacuuming is beautiful. It's a representation of normal, and normal, my dear friends, is an absolute gift. Celebrate normal. Celebrate those vacuuming the kids floor who made a huge mess but are sitting in your home playing moments of life.

Keep perspective. Savor today. Love the little things."

World's Best Neighbor Award

I've mentioned before how blessed we are to have Mr. Steve and Miss Jennifer as our neighbors.  This week, Mr. Steve once again proved that they are indeed the world's best neighbors.  While the kids, Hudson, and I were out in the backyard working on a science lesson we had an extra participant show up. All I had to do was text Mr. Steve some pictures of our unwanted visitor and he voluntarily came over and moved Mr. Garter Snake from our backyard to his woods.

 When Mr. Steve picked the snake up, John Caden said, "Mr. Steve, be careful..." I thought he was going to say, "Be careful. Don't let it bite you."  Instead what came out of his mouth was, "...be careful. Don't squeeze its neck too tight." To which I made sure to tell John Caden, "If someone's offering to move a snake for you, make sure to offer only words of thanks, not advice!"

Hooray for Weekends!

Indoor Soccer Game

 (In the dark--not sure why, but they have yet to turn on the lights for practices and games)

Anna's First Birthday Party Sleepover

(As we were heading out the door, she looked at me in my jeans and grey shirt and said, "Mommy, couldn't you were a dress or a skirt or at least something cute to drop me off in?" Oh, my--what am I in for in the years to come?)

  

Catching up on Sleep

John Caden's New Look

While Anna and I were at Miss Allison's this week getting our hair cut I decided that I could use a break from cutting John Caden's hair so I let Miss Allison have a go at it.  As Miss Allison was taking him back I mentioned that we like to keep his hair "pretty short." Anna and I almost didn't recognize him when he came back to us--we were a little surprised with his new do. :)  The sweet boy hasn't stopped asking me, "Mommy, did you mean for Miss Allison to cut it this short?"  

Happy 100th Day of School