Yesterday

(I'm linking up with Stephanie's Blog Your Heart challenge!)

So this happened yesterday.

It's not her first lost tooth. It's number three. (Though you might have guessed it was number one by her squeal as she ran downstairs to show me.)

It's number three, but my eyes filled with tears just like they did when that first bottom one became wiggly.

They teared up just like they did when the very first one...my last first tooth...appeared in that baby grin some five and a half years ago.

My eyes will likely tear up over that smile again...when she loses that other top one soon. And the last time I see her before the braces go on. And then before they come off.

I imagine I will tear up when I first see that "finished" smile. The one that she will be known for. The only smile that most people in her life will know.

But when I see her smile, I always see them all, woven together. A smile that has become.

And I count it a precious privilege to be the keeper of her smiles.

Today, I burnt the oatmeal.

This Monday morning dawned as most do after returning from a girls getaway weekend with old, dear friends.

I'm thankful that I've learned over the years, that reentry isn't always easy.

Today I am tired from three way-too-late nights chatting with friends, which didn't help my recovering-from-an-awful-cold state of health.

Today, I burnt the oatmeal my children were looking forward to. And then the second pot boiled over.

Today, I was in pajamas for my longer than I had hoped to be.

Today, little voices were louder than they should have been and not quite kind.

Today, I reached for the Shout to treat some stains on my daughter's dress and realized too late that a bottle of Windex had taken the normal place of the Shout. Oops. (And thankfully, a quick rinse seems to have saved the day...so far.)

Not an ideal beginning to a new week. But I was prepared for the possibility.

And so despite the Monday-ish beginning...the rest of the day has been sweet.

Strong coffee and a perfect afternoon snack.

Sweet and patient learners with no tears today.

Happy lunch-eaters with no complaints today.

A grace-receiving Mommy who's thankful for the good and trying moments of today.

This weekend was a sweet reminder of the many blessings I've been given by the most-generous Giver. A time where my heart was full and my soul feels refreshed and encouraged.

And just like I can return to my normal after such a full weekend, I find myself able to return here today, after almost a month's absence and a failed 30 days blog series.

So, I'm welcoming myself and you back today!

Mornings

This past fall, I began to change some habits. (And in doing so, began some new ones!)

I have never described myself as a morning person. Night owl here, through and through. 

I love the quiet of the night...I find myself productive and creative at night. I love to be awake with the moon and the stars and the peace. 

But this night owl finds that with children, the morning comes too early and with much energy and noise, though not my own.

And so I realized that for me to be cheerful in the morning, I needed to begin my day before my children do. To enjoy a bit of peace. To wake up to the day with quiet, so that I can be ready for the energy that barrels down the stairs at 7 am. To embrace the day, I needed to embrace the morning. Earlier.

Each morning, I wake up around 6 (sometimes earlier, sometimes later). I shower, dress in something comfortable and my big cozy sweater, and head downstairs.

{Now, in all my adult days, I've never been a morning coffee drinker. I stumbled upon the mug in the picture above at Barnes & Noble and laughed, because it would have described me perfectly at this time last year.  I always loved fancy coffees for a treat or regular coffee with dessert in the evenings...but never NEVER in the morning. I've been a morning tea drinker since college.

But making tea in my teakettle is noisy first thing in the morning, and I don't like waking my kiddos any earlier by accident. So, when I noticed that there was a cup of coffee left in the coffeepot each morning after Brent left for work, I started pouring a cup. Enter new habit.}

So, I pour myself a cup of coffee, turn on the gas fireplace or light some candles, and wrap myself in a warm blanket. And then I spend time reading the Word.

I am using the Reading Plan app on my phone to read through the Bible in a year, using the thematic reading option. (I am liking this plan so far...recommended to me by Brent...and I have to admit, it's fun to check the little boxes as I read and see the progress of my reading, especially since this reading plan jumps from book to book around the Bible rather than going straight through it.)

Any extra time I have is spent in prayer, reading a book (right now, I'm finishing up Desperate by Sally Clarkson and Sarah Mae), or writing in my journal.

I am treasuring this time...

...although I'm still working on a compromise between my night-owl tendencies and new-found love for the morning hours.

How about you? Night owl or early bird? Coffee or tea?
What is your morning routine?

Saying yes.

At the Marine Corps Exchange here, there's a Starbucks. (A really good thing, in my opinion.) And right outside the Starbucks entrance is a vintage three-horse carousel.  

This past Friday, I knew what was coming...because I recognized that relic that makes all children plead desperately with their parent for a ride or at least a chance to just sit on it.  I know because I was once that child.

So I wasn't surprised by their question. The hope I saw in their eyes.

And to be truthful, I wasn't surprised by my reaction or reply.

"We'll see." (It's so much easier to say than no right away, isn't it?) 

"We really need to get home." (True. But still.)

"It's probably got lots of germs." (Seriously?!?!)

They didn't argue. They sweetly followed me inside. Picked up medicine for Madeleine. Went to Starbucks where I ordered two vanilla milks and an apple juice in addition to my iced nonfat hazelnut latte.

We walked outside. 

I thought about how we'd just come home late last night after a wonderful twelve day vacation.  It was a seven hour drive which turned into 12 hours since we stopped for dinner and ended up in a Charlottesville ER to restitch Madeleine's chin injury from the diving board at the beach. (Stitching for the second time in five days when the first memory is still fresh? It's not fun for anyone involved.) 

I thought about how we woke up that morning and drove my Mom (who had sweetly helped me drive home from Asheville) to the airport an hour away. And then drove from there to the base for a picnic to meet the men and women Brent will be working with this year.  I thought about the traffic we would soon face on the way home. I thought about how nothing but toothbrushes were unpacked. All the laundry.  I thought about how I just wanted a nap.

And I'm not exactly sure what happened, but I told them they could sit on the horses.  

And then I put in two quarters. 

And oh, the joy on their faces.  Three children all of whom are almost too big to ride on this toddler carousel, their joy at such a little thing reminds me of how very easy and wonderful it is to say yes.

I sat nearby, watching. Taking pictures. Thinking.

Saying yes.

It cost me a dollar fifty in quarters and a couple minutes. It gave me three heartfelt thank-yous, a few moments to ponder, a memory that won't quickly fade, and a new perspective.

This year, I want to say yes more often.  Yes to messy paint projects and linen closets emptied for hallway forts.  Yes to building legos together and ice cream before lunch. Yes to bubbles and reading outside and listening to Star Wars discussion again and again and again.

I will probably have to reread this post many times to remember.

And that's okay.

Because I'm so glad I didn't miss this opportunity to overhear my littlest say to her brother:

"This is how princesses sometimes ride horses."