Noises

It's after 7:30. The boys are in bed. Ben and I are going through the usual after bedtime routine - cleaning up the kitchen, making the next day's lunch - both of us doing our tasks, soaking in the few moments of quiet as we unwind from the day's activity. I catch a glimpse of Ben. He's standing there, head cocked to the side, with a facial expression that tells me he hears something and is trying to figure out what it is. I take off my rubber gloves, set them on the counter and listen too.

"I hear a toy.",  Ben says with a half smirk on his face. He creeps up the stairs, I follow close behind, we  stand outside the boys' mostly shut door. "Beep, beep". It's the the horn of  the battery-operated dump truck. For a split second we are puzzled. The thought of someone escaping their crib raced through my mind. 

"Busted!", yells Ben as he opens the door all the way. Tanner erupts in laughter as we watch his little hand reach out under the bumper pad and through the crib rail to push the horn of the dump truck that's parked next to his bed. All four of us laughing at his ccontagious silliness. We tuck the boys back in, do hugs and kisses all over again, and tell them that it's time for bed for real now.  

Back in the kitchen, we chuckle at his resourcefulness and just flat out goofiness. A priceless moment that broke the monotony of routine.

Gratitude:

Both boys making pucker lips when I pull the chapstick out of my pocket.

Hearing "Mama" and "Didi"

A little Tanner who comes running from across the room to give random hugs.

A sump pump that did it's job during heavy rains. How the sick feeling I had when thinking about a flooded basement was replaced with relief in knowing that we made a wise decision and that it was worth every penny.

Spending time with my mom.

Listening to her read "Big Dog, Little Dog: A Bedtime Story" to Tanner and Kody, one of my favorite books as a little girl. How she saved it all these years and now we get to share it with the next generation...well worn pages and all.   

Making big, hard decisions, ones that scare you. Trusting that's what meant to be will be.

Sunshine, sunshine, sunshine.

Robins in the yard. In early February.

How Kody tries to say "cheese" and "Amen". How it makes me laugh every time.

The ability to daydream....to momentarily drift off to somewhere different - like the beach.