Grandpa

Today's happiest moment was probably spending time with my dad and his wife. At one point my sister and her husband were over and we all were in the same room to catch the tale end of Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus. It was funny and cute to all be enjoying the moment together and I think a little special for my daughter to have everyone watching her movie.

The funniest part of the visit was when my sister went outside to "experience" the wild wind and as she turned to come back inside, I shouted over the deafening leaves of our big tree out front, "What are you doing!?" And she actually hit a perfect note as she screamed for about 2 seconds. It was awesome!

Reception

We got to attend Nikki's wedding reception tonight. I think my happiest moment was just enjoying the atmosphere and soaking up the ambience of beautiful music, flowers, lighting, catering, etc. Not to mention being so happy for her and her new husband. There was a very peaceful, joyous feeling there.

Tell it like it is

Will finished up his testing with the school psychologist today. On Tuesday he took a really long IQ test and then today they covered reading and math comprehension. When it was over, the psychologist asked, "Do you like Kindergarten?" Will said, "Yeah." Then the psychologist asked, "Is it hard?" Will said, "Not as hard as you!"

Choodwips

When Will got in the car from school yesterday he said, "We played tag and it was a little hard. Boy those girls sure can run fast!" Then he said, "I made all 25 friends, but one I took off cause she was putting choodwips in my hair. But then she got back on because she started being nice again." I laughed as I asked, "you mean woodchips?"

Today, he was chasing that same girl again and again commented on how fast she was. Pretty cute.

Teacher's Pet

I have to confess that I used to be a teacher's pet. I loved staying after school to erase the chalkboard for my 1st grade teacher. I loved it even better when I got to help with grading or writing things out for her. I enjoyed talking to the teacher as a friend and getting the inside scoop, as well as the special treatment in class and favoritism, when it was given. So, that lasted pretty much my whole life, but as I grew I tried to hide it a little more. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, then, that Will got in the car from school and said "the whole class was being bad today, but I was being good." And "we were supposed to be coloring our papers but everyone was just scribbling theirs, and the teacher held mine up and showed everyone that mine was what it was supposed to look like." He then said, "Cause it doesn't matter how fast you get it done, it only matters how good a job you do." Awww. I'm so proud. Following in his mother's footsteps. . . .

OOHHHH

Happiest Moment: Today, I remembered Alex's birthday cards from Grandpa Ross & Kathy and Aunt Lynne. I got them out to show them to Alex while he was sitting in his high chair. As I pulled the first card out he said, "Ohhhh," with eyes wide and a big, enthusiastic smile. You should have heard the inflection as his voice started, rose and then gradually trailed off. I opened the card and he did it again. I read the words and he smiled. Then, again with the second card, same thing. It was so precious. He did it a few more times today, like when Kimball started a Baby Einstein movie for him this evening. And once he held up a baby doll and just exclaimed, "Da da da da da," as he fingered its eyes, mouth, and nose. At least he has no problem expressing himself! (By the way, thanks for the cards! And sorry I forgot about them until today.)

Happiest Moment: This came late today, but that didn't make it any less wonderful. I got a phone call from one of my best friends tonight. We got to talk about babies and motherhood and other fun things. I don't know why these phone calls always last over an hour when it only feels like it's been 10 minutes! But it was great to chat with someone who already knows me so well, and I love that I get to stay connected to her, too. (A close second, however, was seeing my husband walk in the door with dinner. It usually happens once a week, but I have to say it's one of the finest sights to see after a long day!)

Babies are Way Better Than Dogs

Happiest Moment: Every now and then I think I want a dog, and then I have to remind myself that I had one once and couldn't stand the barking, incessant need for attention and cuddling, and well, you know, cleaning up after them. So today before I laid Alex down for his nap, I took a moment to gently scratch the back of his neck and brush my fingers back and forth feeling his soft baby hair. His head leaned into me, absorbing the feeling and I took a deep breath of sweet, clean baby skin. I thought that sometimes this is what you do with a dog, press the side of your cheek up against them as you pet them, and then I thought of how dogs usually smell, and how that makes me sneeze, and how they are always squirmy, and usually want to lick your face, and how when that happens I have to wash my cheek and I better wash my hands, too, lest I unknowingly rub my eyes and instigate an all out allergic reaction. . . . Then I came back to reality and soaked up the joy that this was not a dog, but my sweet baby boy, and I thought, babies are way better than dogs.

Here Goes

Happiest Moment:

This isn't from today, but I wanted to record it. As I was carrying Ella upstairs the other day, she laid her head on my shoulder and draped her arm in front and over my opposite shoulder. There was something so beautiful and elegant about that moment. She can be so graceful and beautiful even as we walk upstairs for naptime. I think that says a lot about women in general. Even in the most mundane or uninteresting tasks, we can be absolutely and unequivocally stunning.

She wasn't kidding

Well, my sister wasn't kidding when she said this was easy. So, I've started a blog, simple and unimpressive, but still an effective way of recording little moments of my life. My main motivation was that I reached the end of my journal tonight, where I've been recording my happiest moments everyday for the past year. I realized that it might be even easier to record these moments here and also get to share some of these things with others. Please forgive me as this won't be the most beautiful blog and probably won't always have many pictures. At least it will be a place where I can save some of my best memories. This is for you Breanne!