Day(s) of Greatness

Yesterday was nearly perfect.

It rained. Real water poured from the sky. It was beautiful.

I made Abby a new skirt. It’s not a perfect fit but she really likes twirling around in it and seeing as how it was less than half a yard of on-sale fabric, I couldn’t care less if she runs through a mud puddle wearing it.

{I have no idea why she’s wearing different socks on her hands and feet. It’s just who she is.}

Some of Granny’s pickles made their way to my kitchen. Bonus- she sent an individual jar for each of us and she even labeled them! It may seem silly, but it really is necessary as my husband and I have opposing approaches to these pickles.

Matt came home, saw his name, popped the lid, and started gobbling them down right then. I swaddled my jar in a blanket, sang it lullabies, and planned how to make them last forever.

{Seriously. Some things aren’t meant to be shared.}

Homemade basil peach pizza. That’s all there is to say about it.

That was yesterday.

But then today came with its own version of heaven. Today it was 73° and overcast. Abby went outside with me as soon as she woke up and then ran into her room and came to the breakfast table wearing this:

It has been hot here for a really long time. She needs to be eased into new situations. Kind of like the fish from the pet store- slowly adjust the water temperature, not all at once or they go into shock.

I decided she needed to be exposed further, like it or not. So we went to our favorite coffee shop (Jupiter House) and she chose a huge chocolate cream cheese muffin.

Then I drank coffee while she ran around the courthouse lawn. She loved it.

{Why does she look so big?}

{And why does she have so much hair?}

{There’s my little elfish baby.}

Then the afternoon was filled with open windows and cool breezes and the sounds of James Taylor.

And I walked in on this:

I think she’s serious about being an animal extractor. She told me their mouths were taped closed so they wouldn’t bite anyone.

{They do look pretty harmless this way.}

If tomorrow is anywhere near as wonderful as today and yesterday were, you may find me skipping down the sidewalks of my neighborhood.

And So It Continues…

I.

Abby: “Mommy, know what I want to be for Halloween?”

Me: “What”

Abby: “A skunk.”

II.

Abby: “I would definitely touch a snake because I like those spots on their backs.”

Me: “Nope. Not a good idea. Please don’t ever touch a snake.”

Abby: “Okay. I’ll only touch ones that I find in our yard.”

Me: “Still not okay.”

Abby: “Oh Mommy.”

III.

Abby: “When I grow up I’m going to be an animal extractor.”

Me: “Really?”

Abby: “Yep. But I’ll be one who lives here with you and Daddy and when someone calls with an animal at their house, I’ll go get it out of the grass for them. Even lost giraffes.”

…..

Her love of animals both fascinates and concerns me.

Why I’m Praying for Teachers I Don’t Yet Know

These are a few of the conversations that have happened in my home within the last 24 hours:

I.

Me: “Abby, please stop arguing.”

Abby: “We’re all just sinners, Mom.”

II.

Me: “You’re being a little bit impatient right now.”

Abby: “But sometimes I’m outpatient, right?”

III.

Abby: “Mom, look at this!”

Me: “Abby, I’m driving. I have to look in front of me so I don’t have an accident.”

Abby: “You need to look in front so you can have a purpose?”

IV.

Me: “Abby, what are you going to act like at school?”

Abby: “Just normal. Not crazy or anything.”

Me: “Oh good.”

Abby: “But I will pretend to hula hoop a bunch. Like this.”

{Followed by crazy jerking dance where the imaginary hula hoop tripped her up and she fell to the floor.}

….

Right now her future teachers are cluelessly going about their business. Completely unaware of my little girl who is headed their way. I wish I had a way of preparing them.

Cravings

It finally happened.

Memories and smells and sounds of autumn came rushing back into my head.

Now I can’t stop dreaming of cool mornings and open windows and fresh breezes and crunchy leaves and bread baking and warm drinks and cozy fabrics and long sleeves and scarves and boots and curling up under a blanket with a book.

Ugh. Since the wonder that is fall has taken over my senses, the rest of summer now seems unbearably long and hot and dry and miserable.

How many more weeks do we have of this? Six? Please don’t let it be more than six.

Speechless. Almost.

There are no words for what it’s like to come home to a husband sans shirt sleeves and a daughter acting like Dumb Donald:

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But there are plenty of words that almost do it justice:

love. joy. amusement. charm. bliss. affection. devotion. humor. comfort. delight. wonder. life.

Musing on Miracles

{Disclaimer: I’m completely aware that this post is for my own need to sort through these ideas and that no one else may understand much less agree.}

I’ve been thinking for the past few days about miracles. Not about whether or not they exist- I have no doubt they do- but about how easy it is to witness or hear about a miracle and instead of simply being thankful and recounting it with praise and wonder and adoration, we often take the miracle and immediately put it to use as a new measurement for our own sense of entitlement.

For instance, we see healing where it was deemed impossible and although we’re happy for the healed, we also find comfort in the idea that “if they were healed, then if I get sick, I’ll be healed too.” (I’m speaking from personal experience here.)

The unimagined becomes the expected and we set ourselves up to be disappointed by anything less.

Is it a longing to experience something deemed miraculous? Is it the desire to see tangible proof of God’s presence? Is it the fear of being “ordinary”?

For me, I think it’s a combination of all three.

One Last {Summer} Adventure

We managed to sneak away from the heat and spend a few days on the beach in Galveston for our anniversary. While it was 108° here, it was only 100° there which felt much more manageable. Add to that the sunrises, sunsets, near empty beach, crazy pterodactyl-looking seagulls, soccer, frisbee, seashell hunting, jellyfish (yes, jellyfish are fun when you catch them in a bucket and watch them swim) and a daughter who played so hard that she also napped, and it was heavenly.

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Life

We’re still here. Things are still crazy. I’m still taking photos.

But after grading papers for 60 hours last week, I have lost all desire to be near the computer. Especially since I will be grading papers again next week.

Oh well. New blog posts will happen later this week.

In the meantime, here are today’s highlights:

1. It is 106° outside. Who knows what the heat index is. Who cares. Above 100° the temperatures all feel the same to me.

2. Even though the world seems to be melting, I remember winter and how it felt to be cold for an extensive amount of time, so I refuse to complain about the heat.

3. My daughter says “ot” instead of “at.” We’ve tried to make her say it correctly, she refuses, and since the heat has worn down our defenses, we’re letting it go. Until winter.

4. That same (and only) daughter of ours told me a story that took 50 minutes to tell. Literally 50 minutes. It consisted of an evil Potato-head on a cross, Barbie, Aslan, an octopus, and “a very disappointed Jesus.” I wish I could repeat the story, but it was a once in a lifetime event.

5. This morning I did yoga. After yoga, I immediately went to the store and bought a bag of pretzel M&M’s. The biggest issue here might be that I see no problem with my choices.

6. When I went to pick up my child from the gym daycare, I found her standing on top of a bear statue singing “L is for the way you look OT me, O is for the only one I see, V is very, very extra-ordinary, and E is even more than anyone I adore…” into a plastic microphone at the top of her lungs. I briefly considered claiming the child quietly rocking a doll by the window as my own.

7. Tomorrow will be our 8 year wedding anniversary. 8 is my favorite number and I can’t wait to spend a whole year celebrating it with Matt.

8. We are most likely leaving town in search of a cooler place to celebrate. Not that I’m complaining about the heat or anything.