Day 546: A First

Today I got to attend church with my ENTIRE family, on my side.  That hasn't happened in I don't even know how many years.  And never since we all got married and had kids.  It was really neat to sit there all together.  We swapped babies for a while, and I know that at least for mine that helped him endure the three hours better than he normally does.

There is a group of four 4-year olds that all got to go to the same class in Primary.  They were pretty excited to get to stay together.  I'm not sure how the teacher felt about it though!

And then Sweet P was able to attend the class taught by my parents, along with three of her other cousins.  That was very special.

And that whole experience was my Joyful Moment!

Wishing you all Joyful Moments in filling up a room with people you love!

Day 545: Photo Op

We took a giant family photo today.

And I'll be honest, I think we looked pretty awesome.  I'm super excited to see how they turned out.

And then HH and I walked across the street with the kids to get them a slurpee from 7-11.  In the spirit of honesty--I felt super cute walking around town with my family in our super cute color-coordinated outfits.  Is it weird that that was my Joyful Moment?  Because it was.  We were like a little model family.

A really cute one.

Wishing you all really cute, color-coordinated Joyful Moments!

Day 544: Pool Park

We went to a swimming pool that's more like a water park today.  So much fun!  It was full of Joyful Moments.

The two standouts, though, would have to be playing with one of my youngest nephews in the water for quite some time.  I've hardly seen him since he was born a few years ago, so he usually ignores me.  But he was chasing me and splashing me and getting him to giggle was a great Joyful Moment.

The other Joyful Moment was watching Sweet P go down the big water slide with her grandpa (my dad) and hearing her gush about how fun he made it.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that really standout!

Day 543: Flamily

Spent time with ALLLLLLLL of my family today!  Awesome!!!!!!!

Joyful Moments galore!

Day 542: More Old Friends

Today I was able to coordinate a meet up with yet another friend I grew up with.  I haven't seen her and her family since Little M was a baby.  She and her family were kind of like cousins to me and my family growing up.  And I just love her.

And she always looks perfectly beautiful, too.

She and her cute family came over.  And she and her husband shared with me their vast knowledge of essential oils--including some that help treat depression!  She's just one of those thoughtful people like that.  So, I'm excited to try out the oils they gave me and see how it goes!

Plus, it was just fantastic to catch up.  So yeah, and evening full of Joyful Moments!

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that smell positively delightful--just like my new essential oils

Day 541: ZooBie DooBie.0

Today I met up with an old old friend at the big zoo in the big city.  He's just one of the most fantastic and quality people I know.  And I haven't seen him and his family since Sweet P and his oldest were both little babies.  So, reconnecting was a super fun Joyful Moment.

And the zoo itself is always a Joyful Moment as well.  It's a tad bit awesomer than our zoo.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments with high quality persons!

Day 540: Serenity

Today was a crazy day.  I just have a ton of stuff to do over the next few days and I'm not really good at pacing myself.  I just like to get it all done right away.  So, as soon as I woke up, my brain was all over the place.

I debated skipping the gym, so I could take care of more stuff today, but ultimately decided that today, of all days, I needed yoga.

Mostly, I had a really hard time focusing and being "in the moment" during yoga.  But finally, near the end, my mind settled down and I was able to just chill and be at peace for a bit.

And then the rest of the day was nuts.

So, that brief moment of serenity was definitely today's Joyful Moment.  One that my body and mind really needed.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments and a chance to just chill!

Day 539: Hanging With The Grown Ups!

We go to church for three hours every Sunday.

Usually, I am with the children for the second two hours, because I teach the 9-10 year old class and then supervise them during Primary.

Today, all of the kids in my class were absent.  So, my team teacher and I got to attend the adult Sunday School class (meaning I was able to sit next to HH!--Joyful Moment).  I love being with the kids each week and I definitely learn from them, but it's nice to have doctrinal discussions about the life of the Savior that have a bit more depth to them.

And for the third hour, I taught the women in Relief Society.  The usual teacher moved away, so I got to substitute for her.  I was a little bit nervous, but overall, it was wonderful.  I just kind of guided a discussion based on a talk given by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf at our General Conference back in April.  You can read Waiting On The Road To Damascus, if you like.  Anyway, the discussion was so insightful and filled with the Spirit, and it was a true Joyful Moment to be there with my friends and sisters in the gospel.

And since I haven't had any photos to share lately, here is a picture of Baby B enjoying one of the Green Smoothies we've been having lately, since picking up some kale at the CSA last week.  He loved the stuff!

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that are inspiring!

Day 538: Three Weekends Later

So, yeah, we've been trying to celebrate our anniversary for three weekends now.  The last two, all of the baby sitters were out of town or busy.

Tonight, we finally got to go out and celebrate being "Us" for the last 8 years.  It was so great.  We went to dinner and then we went shopping.  Maybe that doesn't sound like the most exciting thing, but we had a lot of fun (as we always do when we're together).  It's so relaxing to shop without kids.

Hanging out with my HH and just having a fabulous time together was today's definite Joyful Moment.

HH, I love you I love you I do.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments with the one you love!

Day537: Cool, Clear Water

Last night a friend invited me to meet up with her at the outdoor pool at the gym for a swim this morning.

It was fabulous!

Swimming outside is just so great.  And the weather and water were absolutely perfect.  I always forget what a great workout swimming is.  And this particular friend always makes me laugh.  So, it was made even better by her company.

Yeah, Joyful Moment.

Then I rinsed the chlorine off (okay and I might have blown my hair dry and done my make up) and headed up to yoga.  It was kind of nice to feel pretty in yoga for once.  And Friday's yoga class is pretty chill, so I didn't break a sweat, or anything.

Then there was this afternoon's play date.  Another Joyful Moment.  Our kids get along so well.  It was really great.  Hooray for new friends!!!

And then HH got home early.  Which is always one of the best kinds of Joyful Moments.  Plus, it's the weekend!  Hoo-Double-Ray!

Wishing you all Joyful Moments with a hoo-double-ray!

Day 536: Last Minute Joys

Today was excellent.

Among other things, the play date went really well.  I'm excited about all the new families that moved here recently.  They have kids our kids' ages and the parents seem really cool too.  New friends for everyone!

And then I headed off for dinner with my girlfriends at Panera.  Total Joyful Moment(s).  I love Panera.  I love my girlfriends.  So fantastic.

I came home to all the kids in bed and a nearly clean kitchen--pretty impressive since HH also had to take all three kids (and Z!) to Sweet P's T-ball practice while I was gone.  That was great to come home to.  And then when I went into the bedroom to change into my pj's, I heard a whispered "Mom!" from Little M's room.

So, I went in to kiss him good night.  He's so into kisses right now, it's so sweet.  Then I whispered, "Good night.  I love you."  And he whispered back, "I love you, too, Mommy."  And my heart just melted.  And that right there would have to be today's winner for THE Joyful Moment.  I know that all too soon there will come a day when the kisses will stop and I won't hear those words nearly as often as I'd like.  So, I'm cherishing all of these moments while they still happen.

I love my Little M.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that melt your heart!

Day 535: A Good Summer Mom

I've finally become one of those.  Now that summer is basically over.

Oh well.  Hopefully, it won't take me so long next year.

This morning I had an excellent bike ride, mowed the lawn, and then took the kids swimming with a bunch of friends at the home of a woman we go to church with.  It's still swelteringly hot here, so being in a nice pool was positively gorgeous.  And a definite Joyful Moment.

After lunch and naps, the kids were all set to have a play date with one of Sweet P's friends.  Just a little glitch--we had to take Sweet P in for some follow up blood work from her recent surgery.  Fortunately, my plan of having the play date to focus on helped her get through it with slightly less trauma and drama than usual.  Not really a Joyful Moment, though.

We had lots of fun with the friend, and during that play date, I set up another with a family that is new to the area.  And then another mommy that's new to the area called and we set up another play date.  More than one play date a month is pretty big for us--three play dates in three days is absolutely unheard of.  I'm kind of a structure freak these days and scheduling things with other people always throws that off.  But I'm finally finding my stride and learning how to make it work.  Hooray for my kids!  They will finally get to play with their friends outside of school and the gym!

So, yeah, that was all another Joyful Moment.

And then we went to the CSA farm tonight to pick out some veggies for the week.  HH had never been before.  It's always nice having him around.  Fresh veggies and family time = Joyful Moment!  Plus, we picked up some farm eggs (night and day difference from store bought--even the cage free) and fresh, locally-made mozzarella too!!!  I am SO STINKIN' EXCITED to cook this week!!!!

Wishing you all Joyful Moments in finally getting your stride right--before summer is over!

Day 534: The Perfect Wedding Dress

Don't worry, I found mine over eight years ago.

But a friend of mine needed to find one to attend her brother's wedding.  So, we're talking the perfect dress to attend your brother's wedding, not an actual white, princess-y wedding dress.

Just so's we're clear.

Anyway, oddly enough, another one of my friends was shopping with the aforementioned friend several months ago and happened to catch her crushing on a really cute dress.  So, Friend B went back after the fact and purchased the dress for Friend A, after making plans with the rest of us to give it to her for her birthday next month.

Are we still clear?  This gets a bit confusing.

Anyway, the short-ish story here is that Friend A suddenly needed a dress for the wedding and the dress purchased by Friend B actually fit the wedding party criteria.  So, Friend B coordinated and we all presented the dress to Friend A this morning at the gym.

It was splendid.  Friend A could not stop smiling.  Beaming really.

Joyful Moments all around.

And then we all headed off to yoga.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that occasionally require a confusing and complicated story to explain!

Day 533: Great News!!!

Have you ever noticed that two exclamation points just look odd?  You must do either just one, or at least three.

Trust me!!!

Anyway, so I went to my podiatrist today.  I was expecting some really bad news in the way of a broken metatarsal.  And at least six weeks off of running.  Boo.

Turns out I was wrong.

He said I have metatarsalalgia.  And after taking a crazy dose of prescription strength anti-inflamitories, I'll be able to run in a week.

Not sure about the drugs.  But getting back to my running in just one week was most definitely a Joyful Joyful Joyful Moment!

Wishing you all Joyful Moments with at least three!!!

Day 532: Make Haste

So, we get home from church in the late afternoon on Sundays, which usually leaves me in a bit of a rush to get dinner on the table.  And today, I couldn't even really decide what to make.  But my overachieving basil plant has really been calling my name lately, so I decided on a pesto pasta.

And for the first time in my life, I made pesto.  With my own basil!  Pretty thrilling, to be honest.  And it smelled (and tasted!) divine!  And I thought that would be my Joyful Moment.

Then the phone rang and it was HH asking if he could invite a couple guys (one is single, the other is single while his wife and baby are away) over for dinner.  It was 5 PM by this time, mind you.  But I said, "Sure!"  No problem.

But no pesto either as it's not exactly a super hearty dish and I was only planning on enough for our family.

So, I quickly through together a different dish and made four loaves of French bread, just in case.  And it went well!

And I was proud of myself for putting together a successful meal in one hour.

And that was my Joyful Moment.  We haven't had anyone over for dinner for a couple months, so it was just nice.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that you can put together successfully in one hour, or less!

Day 531: Hot, Sweaty Mess--No More!

For those of you from dry climates, this is what oppressive humidity looks like:

Yeah, it's so humid it just fogs up my camera lens.

Awesome.

This was at Sweet P's hour long T-Ball game today.

Awesome.

But before all of that awesomeness, I ran some errands this morning.  I decided that I'd had enough of looking disgusting and all sweaty whenever we hang out with our friends during the summer because it's always so nasty and hot and humid and and I do have a sweating problem and it's happened a few weeks in a row now, so I took myself to my favorite store.  And bought me some nice light, airy shirts.  Which happen to be super cute, too.

And that was my Joyful Moment.

What can I say?  I try to make my life have higher purpose, but sometimes, I still just a woman.  A woman with retail therapy needs.  You all get that, right?

Thanks for your understanding.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that are light and airy!

Day 530: Lightning Bugs

Well, tonight was the annual Firefly Party.

Tons of great friends, deliciously gourmet s'mores (I may have suspended my "no treats" rule for a night!), and of course the glowing little bugs themselves.  It had all the makings for a wickedly awesome night.

But there was also a heat advisory out.  Oppressive humidity, too.

So, it was still a great evening--full of Joyful Moments--, but we were ALL ridiculously sweaty long before those bugs started blinking off and on.

Finally, it was time and everyone got to work finding those bugs.  It was a pretty successful night!

I was struggling to catch one, but HH really wanted to get a picture of me getting one.  So, I reached out and pretended and that dear little lightning bug obliged by blinking on just at the right moment for this photo to be taken.  It was a Joyful Moment for Photographer HH, to be sure.

And don't look too closely, or you'll see just how drenched I was with sweat.

Gross.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments with all the makings of a perfect event and no oppressive humidity!

Day 529: Watching My Babies Shake It

Tonight the kids and I went to a little kids' concert put on by the local children's museum, while HH and Baby B stayed home to take care of some potential home improvement matters.

And I'm sad.

Because I reached into my purse to make sure I had the camera as we were pulling out, but what I thought felt like the camera case was, in fact, my wallet!  I mean, I'm glad I had my licence and all, but nothing to take pictures with!  Sad.

At first, I thought it wasn't going to matter because I couldn't get them to leave my side down in the audience.  But eventually, they gave each other the courage to get up and dance with the other kids right in front of the stage.  And they held hands for almost the entire time--while dancing.

Ah!  So, sweet!  I took about a billion mental pictures and I'm just going to have to keep looking at them to make sure they never fade.  So, that's the sad news about a wonderful Joyful Moment.  I love how much my kids love each other.

And here's a little substitute photo of my new hair cut and freshly washed dishes in my dishwasher.  Both Joyful Moments.

And forgive my weird smile.  I can't take a picture and "say cheese" at the same time.  I have struggles.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments and a camera, in addition to a wallet, with which to document them!

Day 528: I Like It Short

Today's Joyful Moment was a loooooooong overdue hair cut.  Ack!  I love it!  It's so great to have it short and perfect again.  I would show you a picture, but I mowed the lawn tonight, so it's a bit sweaty.  Yum.

Maybe tomorrow.

Just know that it's fabulous and it made me very happy.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments in getting your due that's long overdue!

Day 527: Losing My Life To Find It

You may recall that this year my theme is Service.

I've kind of been going through phases with it.  But lately, my efforts have been renewed and I've been praying really hard for service opportunities.

So, yesterday I was on the phone with a friend who is about to move and she was telling me that the home inspector would be coming this morning and she was kind of stressed about what to do with her three kids and the two she babysits every day.  I was listening with sympathy until finally I realized that I could do something to help.  So, I offered for them to come hang out with us all morning.  She's a super capable person, so I pretty much never get to do anything for her, so hearing her say, "That actually would really help--a lot," with major relief in her voice was another Joyful Moment for yesterday.

Then, last night I checked my email when I posted here and I saw that another friend was in need of a baby sitter this afternoon for her two boys.  And again, I thought, "I could do that."  So, I emailed her back right away and told her to look no further.

So, this morning I went for my bike ride, came home, read my scriptures, showered, did violin practice with the kids, and then made waffles to feed our friends since they were coming kind of early.  The kids had a blast playing together for the next four hours, even got to play on the slip n' slide once the wind died down, while my friend and I visited.

Then a very quick lunch before sending Sweet P off to play with a neighbor's visiting granddaughter, put Little M down for a nap, straightened for a few minutes before getting Baby B up from his, and then my friend arrived with her cute kiddos.  We woke up Little M since he was who they really wanted to see and I refereed while those three rambunctious little boys had a blast.

About ten minutes after they left, Sweet P and her new friend returned, asking if the new friend could stay and play.  I could tell Grandma was in need of a break after a busy afternoon, so New Friend came on over and hung out until dinner was ready and HH was home.

If you read between the lines there, you might have noticed that there wasn't any "Me" time after about 7 AM.  Normally, I'm pretty big on getting my "Me" time.  But today it was okay.  I'm exhausted, but it's a really good exhausted.  After all the service I've been given while I've been sick the last couple months, it was really nice to give back.  Funny that it happened to all be on the same day, but it kind of worked better that way, too.

So, it was a day full of Joyful Moments, fun, and friends.  And completely satisfying.

And this was my favorite photo from the day.

Ah, so fantastic.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that leave you both exhausted and completely satisfied!

Day 526: A New Fishy

We took the kids swimming tonight for Family Home Evening.

It was Baby B's first time swimming.  And this was a quick photo I took before we left the house.  Not the best.  That's his pajama shirt, not a swim shirt.  He didn't wear it to swim in.  But he was happy as a fish in the water.

Except that a fish knows how to breathe under water.  He doesn't.  But it didn't stop him from dunking himself every chance he got.  It was kind of crazy.  He kept trying to use his newfound walking skills to walk around the pool.  But his darling little legs are nowhere nearly strong enough for that.  So, the second he wriggled away from me, he'd fall in.  He'd come up spluttering and coughing and try to do it again as quickly as possible.

Which could have something to do with why he went to bed with nary a fuss nor a peep tonight.

Anyway, watching him love the water was a Joyful Moment.  And Sweet P passed the swim test required to be able to go down the water slides at the pool.  She was so so so proud of herself!  And that was another big Joyful Moment for me, her proud Mama Bear.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments where being all wet is a good thing!

Day 525: Happy Day

So, I thought my Joyful Moment would only be going from this:

To this:

Eight Years later.  Do we look older to you?

I try to keep it a secret here, but I love love love my HH.

But then we got to Skype with my parents and his and that was super fun, so another Joyful Moment.

And THEN, while we were Skyping, all the sudden we noticed Baby B flat out walking in the background of our webcam!  Just walking a long like a pro.  What the heck?!?

And every time I would turn to look at him, he'd promptly sit down.  Everyone else got to sit and stare, but I had to just catch it all on the tiny screen from the webcam.  Frustrating!

But still a total Joyful Moment to see our little guy walking along and being all proud of himself.

Wishing you all eight+ years of Joyful Moments with someone you love love love, or at least Joyful Moments that leave you all proud of yourself!

Day 524: Perfect For A Crazy Hot Day

This was going to be my Joyful Moment:

Not because of the awesome lighting involved in taking this shot, but because that is some homemade strawberry lemonade (well, not the lemonade part--that's from a can).  I thought of the idea and then pureed the strawberries.  And then I added the lovely strawberry garnish.  All my idea.

One that I'm apparently ridiculously proud of.  You'd think I cured cancer, or something...

Anyway, so that was going to be my Joyful Moment for today.  But then I remembered that I was only halfway finished with the laundry today (that's why laundry on a Saturday is never a good idea), so I went back to finish.

In the process, I discovered the other sock to Little M's poor lonely sock that's been sitting in the bottom of the laundry basket for months!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously.  I don't know how it happens.  But these wayward socks somehow have a way of finding their way home again, so when one goes missing, I just leave its sad other half in the bottom of the basket so I'll know where to find it when the missing one returns.

Does it reflect poorly on me if laundry is my Joyful Moment?  Maybe.  I don't care.  I'm still super stoked about it!

Wishing you all Joyful Moments in finding something that completes you!

Day 523: My Leetle Dahlings

The Grumpies threatened to take over today.

I got out my gun (hot glue, that is) and fought back.

And *finished these beauties:

*One of the alligator clips was defective, so I have to go back and buy another pack and attach the last one, but I felt it was close enough to call finished.  Except, I'm not sure I'm in love with the pearls in the middle.  I might switch them out for a sparkly little diamond.  What do you think?

I'm still quite proud of them.  And excited to present them to a bunch of little cuties I know.  In fact, contemplating that was my Joyful Moment today.  I hope they like them!

My model was a lot more concerned about eating all her apple slices and heading off for her play date, than sitting still and being a decent model.

I love her anyway.

Day 522: In Season

Yesterday we bought a box of nectarines from Trader Joe's.

Today I ate one.

Oh.  Oh.  Oh.  Oh.

That was my Joyful Moment.

It was perfection.  Perfectly ripe and juicy and soft and delicious.

Oh.

I love summertime fruit!!!!

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that make you go, "Oh!"

Day 521: More Than Enough

Earlier in the evening I began contemplating what I would post for today's Joyful Moment.  As I reviewed the day in my mind, I realized that even though it was a pretty great day, the best part for me was when this man walked in the door:

This picture makes me laugh.  Especially because that ignited tank on the ground behind him ended up being a total dud!

Anyway, I was just happy to see my man tonight.  And to be home together.

And then I walked into the kitchen after giving the kids a bath and discovered that not only had he fixed the spray hose thingy that sits next to the faucet in the kitchen, but he'd cleaned the kitchen as well!  All in the brief time it took me to get my kiddos clean!

Joyful Moment #2.

I love my HH.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments where just what you have is more than enough!

Day 520: Sweet Surrender

In all of yesterday's awesomeness--I forgot to mention that it was a little challenging.  There were delicious goodies all over the place all day every party we went to!  The donuts at breakfast were the hardest to pass up, but I did it.

And because our schedule was all skeewompus (thank you, Mom!), it was a challenge to fit in my run, yoga, and even when to take all of my crazy supplements.

And then there was the issue of getting to bed at 10.  If I'm being completely honest, I must confess that I was about 10 minutes late.  It would have been much more if HH hadn't sweetly insisted that I hurry off to bed while he get the kids ready for bed (we were out a little late!) and took care of all of that stuff.  He's been so super supportive with all of this!

Someone else, however, is the opposite of so super supportive.  Of course, being in bed didn't mean I would actually fall asleep for quite some time--thanks to the crazy overzealous firework fiends living around here!  They've been shooting off fireworks for the last 10 days, and probably will keep going for a few more.  My next door neighbors started before 11 AM yesterday and kept going for over 12 hours! With super loud ones!

So, it took me quite some time to finally drift off to peaceful slumber.  And then shortly thereafter, I was awoken by the sound of Sweet P screaming bloody murder.  HH tried to calm her, but she was a little bit crazy.  I tried to help.  It took quite sometime and all of us were a little upset by the time we got her back in bed.  So, it took me some time to calm down and begin to drift off again.

Repeat Sweet P's madness.

Start to drift off.

Repeat Sweet P's madness.

It was a fun fun FUN night.

One thing became quite clear to me in the middle of all the fun--I am definitely on the right track here in making myself happy and well again.  Otherwise, I'm convinced there wouldn't be so much opposition.  When I said I was a warrior, I had no idea what I was about to get into!

But I decided to get up and bike at 6 this morning anyway.  And that was excellent.  As was the yoga.  Sweet P was a little ornery and teary all day thanks to the lack of sleep, but we all survived the day.

And poor Baby B had a hard time falling asleep tonight.  So, I went in to comfort him.  He quickly quieted down and snuggled into my neck, with his chubby little hand resting on my arm.  As much as he loves to be held, he rarely snuggles with me any more.  So, this was pure bliss.

As I stood there and rocked him, he settled down more and more until I could feel his body completely relaxed in my arms.  Anyone who's ever held a baby like this before knows what an awesomely awesome Joyful Moment that is.  To have someone so completely relaxed and at peace in your arms--to be completely trusted like that--it's just a great feeling.

I hope I can relax that deeply when I get to go to sleep tonight!

Wishing you all Joyful Moments and a good night's rest!

Day 519: Free For Me!

Doesn't the Fourth of July just make you happy?

It's gotta be one of the most laid back holidays.  All you need is some meat, a grill, some sort of heat/flame, and a bunch of explosives.  Oh, and a whole heap of good friends.  Easy peasy.

Oh, and a flag.  And a concept.  A concept that men and women have fought and sometimes died for.  And that now allows me to live the blessed life I live.  And to contemplate the freedom they've gifted me with--that right there is a Joyful Moment.  One that I'm very thankful for.

Today rocked.  It was full of Joyful Moments.  Clear up to the brim.  Including finally getting to play me some bocce ball!  It wasn't a complete game, but it still made me happy and brought me a Joyful Moment.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments and the pursuit of happiness!

Day 518: Baby Steps

Yeah, I'm not talking about me there.  So far, I'm still taking giant leaps.  As in, I feel like a normal person again.  Normal is awesome!!!!

No, I'm talking about this little happy pants:

This is how absolutely thrilled he was at last night's fishing trip.  There was goose poop ALL. OVER. THE. GROUND.  So, he was stuck up there.

Today, however, he was all over the place.  Mostly, throwing fits and tantrums.  So, he and I hung out in the foyer during quite a bit of church.  Which is when he decided to take (get ready, get ready, drum roll, please...) HIS FIRST STEPS!


A part of me is a little bit sad, but what kind of mom would I be if it wasn't a Joyful Moment to see my baby take his first steps?  Two of them to be exact.  I was the only one there, so I tried to get him to reproduce it for HH tonight, but no dice.

Ah, well, I have a feeling he'll take some more one of these days.  And then HH will get to witness the sweetness of it.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments full of sweetness!

Day 517: Rare And Beautiful

That's what today was--a Saturday without any real plans or obligations.  It is a rare and beautiful thing.  And a Joyful Moment in and of itself.

But, of course, since I'm on the upswing, today was just awesome in general.

First off--I just want to say 'thanks' to everyone who has expressed words of encouragement here, on facebook, through phone calls, and those of you who've been praying for me.  It really helps buoy me up and makes my heart happy, too.  You've all been the cause of Joyful Moments for me over the past few days.  Thanks!

So, today I went for a bike ride with HH.  He showed me a new trail that I was completely unaware of.  It has more trees than the one I usually run on and it was very lovely.  That bike ride was a total Joyful Moment!

The other main Joyful Moment was an evening fishing trip with the whole family.  This was the first time Baby B and I came along (and Z!).  We went to a new spot and didn't catch any fish.

But HH did catch a bunch of lovely moss on his Lightning McQueen fishing pole.

(And if you reeeeeally zoom in, you can see a cute little baby bird on the tree over his left shoulder.  It was just chillin' there watching us, until it's mama came back to try and help it get back to the nest.  I took about 7 photos of it just sitting there.  And about 10 of a frog sitting in the water.  Something might be a little off with me.  Just maybe.  Good luck, Little Baby Bird!)

Okay, maybe that's Little M's pole.  HH never actually got the chance to cast out his own line.  He was so busy hooking nasty green worms and then casting out the kids' lines--and then pulling off the moss they caught.  He's such a good daddy.

Even though they were sad they didn't catch anything, and Baby B and Z thought it was a waste of time since neither was allowed to roam around as much as was desired--it was still a Joyful Moment for me.  It was just fun to all be together.  And to see my Sexy Pants HH in action.  I love watching him be a dad.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that involve a little Sexy Pants!

Day 516: Manic, Maybe?

It's probably just a bit of a placebo effect and my optimism for my new plan, but today was a really. great. day.

Things just flowed so smoothly.  Was it just the change in my attitude?  I don't know.  But it's nice feeling like the universe is on my side again.

So, in a day full of Joyful Moments, what do I share?  I guess it would be having some peaceful, fun, quality time with the family tonight.  We were helping Sweet P build a house out of Lego's.  Pretty simple.  But it was just nice to be with the people I love the most and not have any anger or hurt in my heart.

Ah, yes.  That's definitely the Moment.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments, placebo effect and all!