June 24

Way back when my kiddos were littles, taking photos was a challenge. The tears, the pouting, the tantrums... and that was just me. (Kidding, kidding. Just wanted to be sure you were paying attention.) But seriously, getting four kids six and under to simultaneously a) sit, b) look at the camera, and c) make some recognizable semblance of a smile is virtually impossible. Now I love (love) my jelly-fingered, nose-picking, crazy-eyed pics from those days, but I have to admit that it's pretty sweet to be able to go, take photos with no drama, and leave. It's beautiful, actually. And that's just what we did today: Isaac, Abby, Brady and I (and Lambie, of course) went to JCPenney, took Isaac's belated 13th birthday pics (including a few group shots, of course), and went to Black Bear Diner after for a late lunch.

It was glorious. The pictures were taken in good time and turned out well. It was our first time back inside Black Bear in well over a year, everyone ordered from the regular menu for the first time ever, and the service was great. The kiddos even entertained me with a relatively steady stream of Dad Jokes involving the salt and pepper shakers and a container of grape jelly.

Some days I miss having little kids in the house, and then I have experiences like this when there's an 18-month old in the adjacent booth banging on the glass partition but my teenagers are well-behaved, my 10-year old is in a good mood, and things just go smoothly at our table. 

It's a perpetual blessing to watch them grow up, even when they're feeling ornery and difficult, but today... today was an extra special blessing to this mom's heart.