{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}

~Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life, as inspired by the women at Like Mother, Like Daughter~

{Pretty}

On Monday morning, after Abby woke up at 5:30 (and, with some coaxing, went back to sleep), I settled myself on the couch with a cup of hot tea, my journal, and my bible. In the past (long past), this was a part of my standard morning routine, one that has fallen victim to motherhood and busyness and life, to never feeling like I have enough rest. On Monday, however, I managed it, convinced my stubborn brain that the forty-five minutes of semi-dozing not-really-restful sleep were hardly worth it, were better spent pursuing something other than the elusive holy grail of slumber. I was rewarded with this view. (Have I mentioned that I love fall?)

[Full disclosure: Monday evening, I came down with a cold, and, while I’m feeling much better, the last three mornings have found me burying my face in the pillow, straining to pretend the world doesn’t exist for as long as my kids allow it.]

{Happy}

Wednesday afternoon brought rain! It didn’t last long, but it was a nice, solid soaking. (Katie, afterwards, told me that she thought the rain had lasted “about five weeks.”) The girls loved watching it together, and I loved watching them. I’m so grateful that I get to witness their blossoming friendship.

Also in the happy category: CandyLand. (Especially when I’m not the one playing it. Ha! I kid, I kid.) Katie had her first experience with it this morning. Her verdict? As we were snuggling before nap time: “Hey, Mama, I like that fun fun FUN game Grandma bring today. Maybe we play it again sometime.”

{Funny}

Abby and I were playing on the deck together a few days ago when Katie came running up from the patio, screaming bloody murder. Certain death was imminent, I scanned her for blood or broken bones. Nothing. When I finally got her to calm down, she pointed with shaking hands, talking about a scary guy. I walked down to the patio, and this is what I found.

(To be fair: I’m not particularly fond of insects myself – as evidenced by one of my “real” moments this week. And I don’t find her fear funny. When it happened, she got a lot of hugs and a lot of reassurances that the praying mantis was probably more frightened of her than she was of it. But this girl will walk up to any strange dog, no matter its size, without fear, and she’s been known to approach llamas twenty times bigger than she is without batting an eye, and so her reaction did make me smile – later, after it was over.)

Also funny: a kid and her spaghetti. What more needs to be said?

{Real}

Ugh. I hate tomato hornworms. Especially when they don’t have the decency to stick to their namesake plant. This one was a monster: that’s a pint-sized jar its curled up in.

Also real: this poor sick girl caught the same bug I did. She seems to be back to her normal independent self, but on Monday evening, she was one snuggly bug – a sure sign she didn’t feel well. Most days, she’s far too busy exploring and playing and trailing behind her big sister to be bothered with cuddling. Even when she’s hurt, she often spurns physical comfort.

Those are some of the {pretty, happy, funny, real} moments around here this week. How about you? Have you captured any contentment lately?

3 response to "{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}"

  1. By: Jane Smith Posted: September 23, 2017

    Love your pictures . Hope you are all feeling better and no one else has caught the bug. (I mean the virus, not the praying matis!)

    • By: Jenn Posted: October 5, 2017

      Ha, Jane! I’m late responding to this, but your comment made me laugh. Thank you!

  2. By: Jamie Posted: October 5, 2017

    Love the spaghetti face!

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