January 16

Brady texted from school this morning to ask if he could walk to the batting cages with Jackson when the bell rang. I said yes, and then he asked me if I could please bring his baseball bag to the park and meet them there. I said yes again. 

He did not, however, ask me to bring the bucket of balls, so Jackson texted his dad to ask for some. (Ah, life with the half-baked brains of 13-14 year old boys.)

While they waited for him to arrive, they goofed around on the playground equipment. And then while I took a walk around (and around and around) the park, they hit the cages for some BP.

I love watching them enjoy their sport. And I love watching their friendship and camaraderie grow, too.

January 15

I was driving back from the Spring sports meeting at Isaac's school this evening when the moon caught my eye.

It was so big and bright and orange that I actually flipped a u-turn and pulled over in a spot that gave me a clear view of the valley below.

I'm not sure if it's a full moon or just close to it, but it certainly looked beautiful as it hung there in the distance. There's something about the scene that exuded a calmness and peace that I can't fully explain. 

So for that natural loveliness, I am thankful.

January 14

After a holiday hiatus, Date Night resumed this evening at Cattlemen's.

Adam had to drive down to his office today so I met him at the restaurant after dropping the boys plus Jackson off at youth group.

It was, as is usually the case, a blessing to sit with my hunny and talk over dinner. No distractions, no other people, just us taking a brief amount of time to reconnect as midweek approaches.

I am grateful for those minutes.

January 13

I was pretty tired by the time I picked Brady up from school, so I went into our room, flipped on the TV, and laid down to rest.

I was gratified to find an old episode of "Matlock" on the tube. My mom was always big on mystery shows when I was growing up --"Murder, She Wrote," "Perry Mason," and the like)-- so they've always been comforting to me as an adult; they're like familiar, cuddly blankets. 

So for that blessing of nostalgia, I am thankful.

January 12

Abby flew back to Wheaton today. We all piled into the Explorer to drop her off at the airport, where hugs were exchanged and then off she went to begin the second semester of her Junior year.

It was wonderful having her here for the past three-plus weeks. We shopped and ate foods of her choosing and played games and watched terrible Lifetime movies and went for walks (I think... she did a lot of jogging and I know I went outside with her at least one time). 

I know she misses us when she's at school (and we miss her, too!) but I'm very proud of how much she's grown over the past few years. And I'm very excited to see what God has in store for her this Spring. Go get it, Girl!

January 11

I turned 47 today. In the past, I've wanted to spend at least part of my birthday alone, but that wasn't the case this go-round. Maybe it's because I'm gaining wisdom with age or maybe it's because my kiddos are growing up so quickly that I want to savor every moment I have with them, but I wanted this birthday to be a family affair.

I awoke this morning to find my coffee and a beautiful bouquet of pink roses on the kitchen table. When she pattered downstairs, Abby slipped me a handmade card featuring a drawing of one of my childhood faves, Strawberry Shortcake. I love her cards; she's a talented artist (whether she believes that or not) and the accompanying notes are always sweet and heartfelt. 

I lingered over my drink for a while playing Monopoly Go before Adam's parents stopped by to drop off a gift for me. (I think my Hello Kitty pajama pants provided Adam's dad with his first good chuckle of the day. He tried to mask it but I'm pretty sure he was amused.)

When lunchtime rolled around a little later, we loaded into the car and headed over to the Cheesecake Factory. I also decided I wanted to go bowling, so we did that as well. I didn't exactly dominate, but I did well for me so I was pleased with my two-game total. Isaac was the big winner (although I'm pretty sure Adam didn't really start trying until halfway through the second game). 

Then we stopped by Safeway to get a cake mix (chocolate) and ice cream (raspberry chip), and the Mother Ship for my birthday freebie (a brown sugar oat milk shaken espresso, which I'd had before and enjoyed so it seemed like a safe bet). And then it was back home, where I dozed in my chair until the Ravens wild card weekend game started. We watched them beat the Steelers over a selection of cuisine from Domino's, pausing once for presents (all of which are wonderful and creative and useful) and once for cake and ice cream. As is his custom, Adam loaded my cake with the correct number of candles, and by the time I extinguished the resulting fiery inferno, about a third of them were little more than nubbins on the surface of my chocolate and peanut butter confection. (Thanks to Abby for the frosting and Adam for the baking.)

And now, a few hours later, I'm sitting in my chair again, half watching a Lifetime movie (and mulling changing the channel because it's simply not as good as the flick Abby and I took in a few days ago) and half reflecting-slash-typing. The boys are upstairs; I imagine Brady is asleep and Isaac is either watching YouTube or playing a video game. Abby is in her room packing her things for her return to Wheaton tomorrow. Adam is asleep in the next seat over. And Lambie is next to me.

And I am officially 47. It's been a great day filled with blessings; time with my family and Corvette sightings and lots of laughter (including my own guffaws when I opened a garden hose from Adam that we'd seen advertised on TV). I feel loved and appreciated and celebrated, and I don't think I could ask for much more from a birthday.

I don't know what 47 will be like for me, but I'm grateful for the people around me and for the time I have with them. Life isn't always easy, but it's always a blessing, and I am grateful for my brand new year.

January 10

Since Abby heads back to school on Sunday and my birthday is tomorrow, she got to decide what we had for dinner tonight. After a wee bit of deliberation (a few days ago, since she likes to make meal decision well ahead of time), she went with Black Bear.

So after Adam finished with work, that's what we did.

And as usual, the kiddos posed with one of the bears in the lobby area before we left. But this particular image was a little different than previous versions, mostly thanks to the distinctive "thuglyfe" flavor (as Abby called it. I'm too old to come up with a moniker like that).

Of course, I took a "nice" one of them standing together and smiling, too, but I like this one because it's funny. And because they were all on the same page when they posed. The cohesiveness of the picture makes me chortle.

They're all big goofers sometimes, and I adore them for it. The way that they make me laugh is such a blessing.