June 7

I don't love going to Walmart, but I needed to drop by this afternoon. When I came back out to my car, this lovely was parked in the spot directly in front of me.

It's just a Corvette. But as you've no doubt noticed by now, we love seeing them because they remind us of Logan. Every time I see one, I think of him and smile and send kisses skyward. It's a small thing indeed, but it makes my heart happy.

June 6

Isaac's Tball season came to an end today with his final game and then, a little later, the team party. So in short, much of the day was devoted to baseball. And though I relish having time to just be a homebody on the weekend, I really didn't mind.

Isaac, Abby, and Brady all had a blast in the pool, splishing and splashing with their friends and (in Isaac and Brady's case) one another. It's so much fun --and such a blessing-- to see them interacting with other kids and making friends.

And even beyond that, it was a blessing to see Isaac in his newly found sporting element. It was fun to see him accept his little season-ending trophy and to see him recognized as the most 'ready to go' player -- always aware of what's going on and always ready to play the game. His smile was golden, and I think he was really proud of himself. If he wasn't worried that the trophy would break, he'd probably be sleeping with it right now.

Anyway, all blessings. No specific moment, but plenty of bits of goodness sprinkled throughout the day. And that's an awesome thing.

June 5

Isaac went to a birthday party at a local bounce house place this evening. While the kiddos played, I chatted with a friend. I don't remember exactly why, but at one point I looked up the top songs of 1996, the year I graduated from high school. What I found made me take pause.

Some of the picks are kind of funny, like the "Macarena." (It still surprises me that that silly song was so popular with my generation. I mean... really?) But a few others took my breath away. Mariah Carey's "One Sweet Day" got me a little. And most definitely "Because You Loved Me." That one hit me like a lightning bolt because that was the song I "heard" Logan's heart singing to mine shortly before he passed away, even though he was very much out of it at the time.

I guess I can't really explain my feelings very well this time, but trust me: it felt like a hug to see the names of those songs again.

June 4

Every now and then, one of my kids will strike a pose that absolutely melts my heart. Here's one I captured this afternoon.

It amazes --and I mean amazes-- me that this is the same little baby who was in my womb as I waddled around Children's four and a half years ago. I can't believe it's been that long. I can't believe I haven't seen Logan's sweet face in more than three years. I feel the painful injustice of that reality every single day.

But at the same time, I feel blessed beyond measure to be able to watch this little man --and Abby and Isaac-- growing and changing. And I feel blessed by the moments when I can see aspects of Logan --his sunny personality, his beautiful soul, his gentle spirit-- manifest in the three of them. And somehow, this particular moment from today reminded me that though Logan is not here with us physically, he's here in other ways. It's never good enough; it's never "good enough" not having him here. But this little clown and his co-horts help temper the sting of that loss every single day. For that, I'm thankful.

June 3

I've been taking these pictures (per Brady's request) for a few years now. It hasn't happened every single day, no, but it's been something of a routine occurrence for the kiddos to climb up into the branches and pose for a pic as we walk down the path away from the school after pick-up.

But this evening I realized something: with Abby poised to finish elementary school next week, this will be one of the last ones in the sequence.

We'll take more of them, I'm sure. Probably during our weekend walks, Brady will scamper up to the tree and ask to take a picture. But it won't be quite the same.

Rather than being sad about it, though, I'm choosing to be happy that I have those pictures and that distinctive memory of something so routine yet still so special to us.

June 2

Two days and two hug photos featuring my little muffin.

Brady and his good buddy are in preschool camp together this week. After goofing around in A's car for a little while after today's session let out, I told him it was time for us to get home. So he and A shared a sweet hug shortly before we left.

I love how free little kids are with their emotions. If they like you, they tell you. If they want to hug you, they do it. If they're mad, they cry and rage and don't care what anyone thinks.

There's a sweet naivete that makes them totally precious (even if the tantrums are infuriating at times). Maturity is a blessing of course, but there's nothing quite like innocent expressiveness of children.

June 1

This isn't actually an uncommon scene at morning drop-off. But it's definitely an uncommon *photo* to capture, since Abby usually runs off before I can snap one.

Actually, this morning was uncommon in more than one way. Usually, Abby prefers to walk through the field to the blacktop on her own, while the Little Boys and I take the paved path. Today, Brady trailed behind her at a distance, watching as she traipsed along. Much to my surprise, rather than continuing on as is her custom, she stopped, turned to him, and said he could walk with her. I was pleasantly surprised. So they walked together to her line, and then she walked him back over to Isaac's line, where she posed for this unlikely photo.

Moments of harmony, folks. Moments of harmony are worth more than gold.