enjoying the small things

I've been reading a new blog the past few weeks, Enjoying the Small Things.  I can't remember how I found it, but I'm glad I did.  The photos, the writing, the person, they are all beautiful and inspiring.  I really look forward to reading her sunny posts (she's in Florida) on these gray mornings we've been having.  Between the weather and my hormones, I've been losing sight of the small things that bring me joy each day.  I feel like I'm constantly reminding myself to just focus on the good little things, but it definitely helps to see others doing the same thing.  As I cried my way through Toy Story 3 the other night, I confirmed that my hormones are definitely out of control, and if the sun doesn't come out for good soon, I might try building a cocoon to hide in for a month or so.  And yes, I'm aware that I can control neither the weather or my hormones at this point, so I'm left to refocusing again, this time on the little things that I forget to enjoy.

Enjoying strawberries.  Because Laci loves them, even though she looks less than enthused here.  They ooze all over her clothes and leave red stains on her cheeks.  I love watching her eat them, wondering if they must taste sweeter to her because her palate hasn't been wrecked by too much sugar yet.

Enjoying mud.  Because the other day we were walking in the field and she decided to "skip" through a muddy spot and ended up doing the splits.  I think every kid must have done this at least once, I know I have.  She cried a little because she hates to fall down and because I think she might have twisted her ankle, but she was tough.  I helped her up and held her hand, and although much more cautious than before, we continued our way through the muddy patches.

Enjoying our accomplishments, no matter how small.  Because she is so proud of herself when she builds the whole tower, and she wants to make sure that everyone sees what she has done.  Our applause is always appreciated.  The tower building here is pre-shop era, but I can assure you, it is a daily activity.  Also because I accomplished grocery shopping yesterday, which isn't such a big feat to most people, but for whatever reason, I struggle with getting it done.  And now, we have food to eat, which I'm pretty sure makes everyone happy.

Enjoying tubby time.  Because she looks so sweet and innocent (probably because she is), and because her hair is wild and I love it.  And because tubby time is usually a happy, playful time, and our chance to unwind a little before bedtime.

And finally, enjoying the end of this post.  Because I started it two days ago, and no matter how hard I've tried, this is the first chance I've had to sit down and finish it.  Enjoying the small things can be time consuming sometimes.