These Are The Days

With the exception of last week when we were in the throes of a very nasty case of Hand, Foot, & Mouth Disease, in the last month I've often thought "these are the days."  Our children love and cherish their dad and me, and they love and enjoy each other so much.  They want to hold hands and make each other smile. They delight in the smallest things. I just can't imagine a sweeter time.  My son seriously believes that when I kiss his head (after he runs into the corner of the counter) it makes it all better.  My daughter lights up when she sees me.

I'm trying to soak up these moments and revel in them instead of some of the challenges of this season.  It's incredible how my days currently hold such high highs yet also include such exasperating moments.  At the end of the day I often find myself so weary yet reflecting on the goodness of our days together. I just can't imagine a more rewarding way to spend my time.

When I was in high school people often said "these are the best days of your life" and that prospect made me really sad.  And it certainly hasn't been true for me.  Falling in love with my husband and our year of dating was one of the happiest seasons of my life.  And seven years ago, I traveled alone in Europe for six weeks and lounged on beaches in Spain, Greece, Malta, and Portugal.  I visited places I had wanted to see for years (parts of Switzerland, Sevilla, Cadiz, Granada) and set my own leisurely pace each day. And now again, I'm somewhat setting my own pace each day, although a needy one year old often sets the tone too. On days like today (when no one is sick
and the sun is shining:) and we take a neighborhood stroll, read books, I teach Ella Kate to kiss Jackson's boo boo and he stops crying, she grins because I give her mandarin oranges, and he's ecstatic because he gets to wear his $5 Old Navy train tee shirt, I think surely these are some of the best days of my life.

p.s. I am so thankful Ella Kate's rash and blisters are healing.