November 19

I may have spent my formative years in a place where it snows, but I've become progressively less cold-tolerant as I've aged.

So ironically, this was Brady when I dropped him off at school this morning. He was wearing shorts. And it was 36 degrees.

I just shrugged and half-laughed to myself as he walked away.

My kids are definitely their own people with their own preferences and opinions. And I think that's just fine, because God created us to be our own unique selves. I may not understand their choices at times, but I'm blessed to be able to watch them learn and grow nonetheless.

November 18

We were watching the Manning brothers' coverage of the Monday Night Football game this evening when Adam felt compelled to watch the SNL skits featuring Peyton and Eli.

So we did, and he cackled like a mad man the entire time. 

My husband's laugh is incredibly loud and hearty and contagious. He doesn't let loose with it very often, but when he does, it's quite the experience. And it makes me laugh almost as much as whatever it is that's supposed to be funny.

Given the heaviness of life, this trait of his is a gift.

November 17

Brady went over to his friend Liam's house after church today so just Isaac joined us to watch the 49er game.

He settled into his spot on the couch with his Slime Dog and his comfy checked blanket to take in the action.

Although the game didn't end well and he found that truth frustrating, it was still sweet to have him in the room with us because time together is a blessing.

November 16

I joined these guys for a walk around the neighborhood this afternoon.

Initially I "let" them walk ahead because I'm the short one in our bunch and I couldn't keep up. (That's an ego check.) But I stayed behind them --even after they deliberately slowed their pace so I could catch up-- because I enjoyed watching them have some one on one time. I could only hear snippets of conversation, but I could tell that both of them were smiling. And that they were having a good time together as father and son.

And although I like being part of the conversation, it was a bigger blessing to me today to sit back and watch two of my guys bond.

November 15

The boys had an event at church tonight, so since a brain goof on my part meant we didn't get date-night earlier this week, we took the opportunity to go out this evening instead.

We enjoyed conversation over dinner; he shared a little about work while I talked about my shoulder (which I injured several months ago and am just now getting around to having checked out; that discomfort is what caused the unnatural, pinched look on my face here). And we toasted my grandma, who would've turned 102 today.

It was a pleasant evening and I'm grateful for the one on one time with my hunny.

November 14

I know a lot of people are afraid of God, and that's understandable. But I also think He can be pretty funny sometimes.

Like this afternoon when I looked up while I waited in the middle school pickup line and noticed this interesting cloud formation. 

To my eyes, it was a bunny, complete with long ears and a cottontail.

It made me grin. 

Given that this life can often be frustrating, I was grateful for such a lighthearted moment.

November 13

I was perusing Amazon late one night a few months back when I came across a sale on Ancestry DNA kits. I'd waffled on taking a test for a long while, so I bit the proverbial bullet, bought one, and sent in my sample. And today, I got the results.

And officially, I am, as Isaac and Brady put it, the "whitest of white people," which means that I'm 100% Western European: a nearly even split between British and Germanic European with a bit of Scottish, French, and Welsh tossed in for good measure. Save the "Switzerland" subcategory that accompanied the Germanic European designation (because that I didn't know), it's more or less what I expected, given what I'd heard from both sides of my family over the years.

But it was still really interesting and even a little exciting to get a peek of God's blueprint for my make-up spelled out right there on the screen of my laptop.