Lately: Moments That Made Me Happy

Lately: Moments That Made Me Happy

• 5.02.2014

When I was a little girl, I fantasized about growing up, getting married and becoming a mama.  I naively thought all my problems would be solved and that I'd live happily ever after.  Well, I grew up and am now living my dream.  No big surprise, it turns out my reality is far from perfect! 

Family life is very bi-polar.  It swings from moments of pure joy and happiness to moments when I just want to cry and pull my hair out.  (I WANTED this?)  I've experienced a lot of both of those kinds of moments over the last few weeks.  But since I'm not one to dwell on the negative, let me share with you some of the moments that have made my heart smile. 

:: We are commencing into that time of year when Bron suddenly becomes jealous of my stay-at-home-mom status.  And it's true, summer is the best time to be a mom!  As the temperature slowly rises, we've been spending exponentially more time outside.  We're ready to play, play, play!  All this outdoor play has another perk: less time inside means less messes in the house.  I'm also not cooped up inside constantly surrounded by the clutter and stickiness.  Therefore, it doesn't bother me as much.  It's a win-win.  Summer should be a permanent season.

:: Levi demanded that I cuddle with him after dinner one night.  So we curled up on the couch together with a blanket.  We spent a solid 40 minutes reading, singing, and laughing.  Oh, precious moments!

:: One morning, Bron told me he had a lunch meeting scheduled for that afternoon at Stevo's (the best café in the valley).  I told Bron I was jealous.  Bron laughed, "I could flirt with another woman and you wouldn't be jealous, but if I eat at Stevo's you're almost angry."  Yup!  It's the blunt truth.  (But seriously, if any other woman did threaten my relationship with Bron, I might blow a gasket.)

:: Painting my fingernails.  I never used to do it--just my toes--but now I suddenly love it!  A little color just makes me feel more feminine.

 :: It's time we got Jed a real bat to play with, instead of a stick. A game of backyard baseball was all Jed's idea one night. He even hit my underhand pitches quite a few times. Not bad for a little guy!

:: That time (okay multiple times now) Jed stole my vacuum attachments and headed out the door.  The attachments become a sword, or a bow, or a gun as he hunts down "deer" in the backyard.  Dinner was short-lived one evening because both boys were anxious to get outside to go "hunting" again!  What wild imaginations these two boys have.

:: Girls' Night Out!  A group of us ladies went out to eat to celebrate Shelly's birthday.  We ate and talked, moved the party for dessert, and ate and talked some more.  It was so much fun!  But by the time everyone else was winding down around 10:30PM, my friend Amy and I weren't quite ready to go home.  So off we went to Wal-Mart, one of the only places in town that stays open all night.  We were like teenage girls again: we rode the electric scooters, showed off our hoola-hoop skills, and spent and outrageous amount of time perusing the make-up aisles; you know, things we never get to do with small impatient children in tow.  We finally made it home around 1:00AM.  Best night that week.

:: Finding a bag of hay via mail on my front doorstep.  No kidding.  It's been two years, but I still find it funny that Bron sends and receives hay samples in the mail.  It's a dairy thing.

:: When Momma Nelson came to visit, she helped me (re)decorate the display on my piano and the tops of my kitchen cabinets.  She has so much experience and vision!  I can't believe what a difference a little rearranging can do.  I'm giddy over the "new" look.  Not to mention how much fun I've had wearing my new shirts too!  Thank you!

:: I had the opportunity to do class and individual pictures for our local private preschool.  It was less like herding cats than I had anticipated and the photos actually turned out really well!  However, most of the checks were made out to "Rock Creek Photography" instead of to me, thus forcing me to finally register my "business" with the state of Idaho.  It's a little dream turning into reality!  It's kind of exciting. 

:: Nothing makes my heart smile more than hearing Levi's tiny voice sing.

:: The happy look and squeal of excitement from Levi as we careen down the tube slide at the park together.

:: Jed went on his very first school field trip to visit a farm... and I got to tag along too!  It was the best morning.  Jed was sooo excited to have me there at preschool with him.  He held my hand and couldn't wait to sit next to me on the bus.  It was the cutest and made me feel so special.  How long does this admiration last?  I want to bottle Jed up as he is now to save forever!  We totally need to go on some more one-on-one dates.

:: Last night was the perfect evening for a bike ride to Stricker Station, an old homestead a couple miles away.  It totally feeds into the boys' wanna be cowboys dreams.  And it was so green and pretty!  We spent quite a bit of time along the stream's edge throwing sticks next to the notorious beaver dam.  What a magical childhood they have.