February 7

Adam was napping and I was taking in some Olympic coverage on TV this afternoon when Isaac appeared with a football in hand and went outside. Brady followed him into the backyard a few minutes later.

I finished the crochet row I was working on (since of course I was multitasking) and looked outside to see what they were up to. Rather than seeing the simple game of catch that I'd expected, I watched as they took turns hiking the ball and running around the pool to catch the pass.

They were getting exercise and having fun together. 

I love their relationship. And I'm grateful to be able to watch it continue to grow.

February 6

The sun was out and the temp was a comfortable sixtysomething late this morning, so I took the opportunity to take a solo stroll around the neighborhood.

Since we've enjoyed several sixtysomething days of late, signs of Spring abounded, including these cherry blossoms that adorned a random tree.

I do love the look of Springtime: how the bees go about their important business and how the plants sprout new leaves and flowers like these. (And pollen. That's the part I don't like so much.)

How the whole world seems to revel in the splendor of new --and refreshed-- life. So for all of that beauty and promise, I am grateful to God.

February 5

I was awakened this morning by the sound of the garage door opening as the boys headed off to their Thursday pre-school Bible study. I wiped the sleep from my eyes and craned my neck to look out the window. And when I did, I saw a whole lotta nothing, because it was foggy. And I mean fog-e -- it took my brain a few seconds to compute but I eventually concluded that the notorious Tule Fog must've made its way in from the Central Valley.

As I headed out to get my coffee a short time later, I marveled at how the fog nestled into every nook and cranny, obscuring even the most obvious and familiar details from view. I continued along the usual path --albeit more slowly and cautiously-- but still felt a twinge of fear because I couldn't see what was ahead.

I think life can be like that sometimes, particularly when when we find ourselves in situations where the outcome is up in the air and we can't see what's coming next. And that can be scary, because The Unknown is often filled with more questions than we can answer. And if you're like me, you like answers.

But the good news is that the path we're to follow is still there, even if we can't see it, because God laid out the pavement before us. It's our job to keep going --varying the pace when need be-- and trusting that the fog will eventually lift because He said it would.

February 4

I was driving behind a truck with a trailer on my way to Target this morning. Said vehicle was poking along well below the posted speed limit, so after uttering a few frustrated words under my breath, I began plotting to pass it when traffic cleared. 

Then I noticed the text scrawled across the back of the trailer and I drew in a sharp breath, because the letters strung together read 'Logan'. And suddenly, I felt perfectly content right where I was, slow pace and all. In a weird way, it was like being 'with' him once again.

With Logan's anniversary just a week away, he's been on my mind even more than usual. And seeing his name there in an unexpected place felt like an unexpected gift.

February 3

When Adam asked what I wanted to do for date night, I thought about it for a few hours and eventually decided on something unusual: In N Out.

I don't know why, but I developed a hankering for those well-done fries and that saucy cheeseburger. And honestly, I didn't really feel like going out, so eating in seemed like a great plan.

And although Adam's been working on his laptop since he finished his food, it's still been a blessing to sit here near him watching "Lakefront Bargain Hunt" and crocheting. Because any time spent with my hunny is a blessing.

February 2

I bought three cakes of a beautiful purple variegated yarn on clearance a month or so ago. I'm not generally one who does much with multicolored yarns but as soon as I saw these, I thought "pullover sweater." So they came home with me and sat on my dresser until I finished the mint green baby blanket a few days ago, which gave me the go-ahead to start something new.

(This strange puke-like shade is a terrible representation of the actual color. It's much prettier than this. Promise.)

Anyway, I finished with the front and back panels over the weekend. Today, I seamed the shoulders, completed one sleeve, and began the second. 

This kind of project is very fulfilling for me. It's rewarding to feel like I'm creating something useful, and as I've said before, I am thankful to God for the gift of being able to crochet. The act of exercising creativity is like unlocking a new level of life enjoyment for me.

February 1

After the church service this morning, Adam, Isaac, and Brady suddenly noticed they were all wearing plaid with shades of brown and gray.

I sensed an unexpected moment of male bonding taking place, so naturally I whipped out my phone and had them pose for a photo. My guys. (Well, three of them. Logan is there too, in his way, but it's always weird for me to reference the men in our family without giving him a nod, too.)

They're all Wight men so they share lots of common traits, but they're also as different as the patterns of their respective shirts suggest. Fortunately for me, all of those differing traits and tendencies (usually) work together to create a beautiful harmony

. They're all wonderful people, and I am very (very) blessed and humbled to be able to call myself their wife and mother.