Remind Me To Remember

Remember when I said these are the happiest days of my life?

In case I stop believing that, in case I put Gratitude on administrative leave and invite Anxiety to fill in for the interim, in case I forget, here it is. The string of words around my proverbial finger, the little moments that bundle together to spell joy.

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Every once in a while I discover the kids playing peacefully together, as was the case a few days ago. I peaked my head into Caed's room to make sure all was well, and here's what I heard.

Dani squealing with delight: "Caed's letting me play Legos!"
Caed replying with big brother authority: "Yeah, and that's a privilege, Dani."

Then they continued playing happily for another thirty minutes. And nothing broke. And as far as I know, no Lego pieces were ingested. A miracle of duplo proportions.

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Yesterday I had the honor of hosting a 94th birthday celebration for my Grammy-in-Law. Four generations of family gathered to celebrate her amazing life. Caed read to her from one of his chapter books, and while I'm certain she didn't hear a word--especially the words he sounded out in whispers--she smiled and applauded throughout it all. Dani offered up a bird house she'd made in preschool as a birthday present, along with a heart-shaped construction paper card plastered with princess stickers. Apparently it's what you get for the Grammy that has everything.

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After dinner a few nights ago, I looked out the window as the light and breeze hit the tree branches just perfectly. So I grabbed the camera, and we all threw on our shoes. The kids followed me around while I tried unsuccessfully to capture the beauty with a camera. Adding to the delight of the moment were the sound of Caed's voice imploring me to take pictures of the sky and the feel of Dani's hands as she brought me leaf after leaf she deemed photo worthy.

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Dani and I met up with some new friends at a park on the most beautiful fall day. Hooray for new friends! Hooray for geese and water and sunshine!


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Grandma Laurie came to visit this week, bringing with her (as she always does) plenty of loot for the kids. She gave Caed a watch, and he has not stopped studying it since he wrapped it around his wrist. Last night, he fell asleep watching the long hand inch along. This morning, when he woke up, he ran downstairs and exclaimed that no time at all had passed since he slept! "When I went to bed it was 7:30 o'clock and now it is 7:30 o'clock still!" Then all through breakfast he watched the watch, counting down the minutes to the bus. I'll tell you, it made me infinitely glad when he shouted, "Oh man, I gotta hurry and get my socks on. The bus is coming soon!" So, that's one less bit of nagging I had to do this morning. Every little bit helps.

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So, in case I forget why these are the happiest days of my life, well, this should remind me to remember.