I caught myself the other day answering a question with a partial lie. The question "How are you guys doing?". How simple is that? My response was something like: "Great - everything is just moving along - things are good, just nothing special going on at the moment." As the words started coming out of my mouth in some sort of pre-programmed way, I heard them and thought "This is totally not true - why don't I have a better answer than this? - It isn't like I haven't had time to think about it." What isn't 'special' about everyday happiness and good health? Our daughter is learning by leaps and bounds how to think for herself, how to work with her arms and legs in new ways, and she's even starting to give me looks - on purpose - like she's making a joke, or she's toying with me. Miguel and I are both working (me only 4 days a week by choice), and we have a community of friends that can't be beat. One of our greatest friends is battling - and winning - against a form of lymphoma that had doctors scratching their heads all across the country. We can afford to eat great foods, we have time to enjoy each other's company, and we have families that love us. So things are going great and I wouldn't change a thing. Everyday, every moment is especially perfect. There's no need to play it down.
It is Mother's Day today. The weather isn't awesome, but it was good enough for the whole family to get out on a hike to Fragrance Lake. On the way there, Linnea asked if we were going on a "picnic" - a word she's learned from one of my old Richard Scary books. This was one of only a few times (and I'm sure there are tons more to come) where she's had a better idea than I have. One time she told me there was 'dog poop' before I ended up stepping in it. So, we made a quick detour and picked up a sandwich and some chips for our little family picnic - good idea LE! She rode in the backpack and Miguel carried her. The promise of a picnic and Lucy swimming got her all the way to the top of the climb without much fuss - and as soon as we got to water's edge, she wanted her shoes off so she could splosh around. I don't know how she didn't freak out at the cold temperature, must have been the awe and wonder of sand between her toes - but she splashed and sploshed as long as we let her. Our sandwich was enjoyed between taking turns redirecting Linnea away from the water and throwing Lucy's enormous stick in the water. Yes, we pushed the limits of the nap by getting her to sleep 2 hours late, but what a day we've had for the memory book.
Happy Mother's Day to all the Grandmas out there Marietta, Mary, Diane & Margo. We hope you enjoyed our little gifts of appreciation - as we love having you in our lives.
-Heather
