June 7

I started to write "I remember when Abby cut her first tooth" but to be totally honest, I don't. It was more than 14 years ago and there are a lot of little (but still precious) details that I can't quite remember these days. And that's okay. But I do remember how exciting it was to watch all four of my kids' bitty mouths slowly fill up with teeth when they were babes. Those teeth signaled the transition between baby and little kid, and I was always ready to have another little person running around the house, driving me crazy, making life more colorful. And then when they started losing those teeth.... Well, even more change was upon us.

So where am I going with this? Good question. Brady went to the dentist yesterday with one tooth that I knew was very, very (as in hanging-by-a-thread) loose. He refused to let me touch it, but gave daily status reports. Anyway, apparently the other front tooth was also very loose, so after checking with me, the dentist popped 'em both out. And voila, he's rocking the no-front-teeth look for now.

I've spent the last 30 hours watching him try --good naturedly-- to eat apples and bread and an array of other foods. When you have front teeth you forget how challenging it can be to bite into much of anything when you don't. But he persevered and found a way to make it happen anyway.

Much of human life is like that: sometimes we're faced with temporary challenges --like missing baby teeth-- that force us to adjust our behavior for a time. But the good news is that temporary human challenges will end. And in fact, all human challenges --both temporary and more enduring-- will fade away when Someday arrives. And that's really good news to me.

June 6

Abby performed in her first dance recital when she was four, and on Saturday, she'll take part in her 11th when she and her class deliver a modern routine to "Head Above Water."

(She is, for the record, all the way to the left in this particular shot.) I don't watch her classes anymore so today's rehearsal was my first real look at the number. I watched as the dancers flitted to and fro across the stage and when the music ended and they struck their final pose, I had a surprising thought: they're not little girls anymore. I said so to my friend Angela, who is Gracie's mom and who happened to be sitting next to me, and she agreed.

Time passes all too quickly sometimes, but as I've said many times before, it's such a blessing to watch Abby and Isaac and Brady grow. And it was a blessing to have Logan here with me for five and a half years, too.

June 5

It was a busy day, but a really nice one. I got up early (for the summer, anyhow) to attend a women's ministry event at a tea shop in town. I can't go during the school year because of the timing, so it was my first time, and I really enjoyed it. From there I went to an appointment. Then this afternoon I took Abby to an appointment (in preparation for a mission trip she's going on later this month) and then took the kids downtown for some ice cream at the Dairy (because it was H-O-T outside).

While we were there, two of Abby's friends happened to show up, so she stayed back with them. Then I drove to Isaac's friend's house to drop him off for a playdate, and his friend invited Brady to hang out, too. So voila, I had a few unexpected hours to myself to just sit and listen to some music and catch up with some friends.

So as the seconds continue to tick toward tomorrow, I'm thankful --for the second time in a week-- for the blessing of really good days.

June 4

I appreciate traditions, and one of ours is to go to Black Bear Diner for brunch during one of the early days of summer vacation. So that's what Abby, Isaac, Brady, and I did this morning.

As we left the house, they each picked a bear to bring along, with Brady choosing Bear Bear, Isaac going with Slugger, and Abby opting for Blob. (Blob is Bear Bear's mortal enemy, although Blob doesn't understand why. There's quite the back story there, all courtesy of Abby's fascinating mind.)

Anyway, the seven of us had a good time together eating and chatting, and I'm thankful to have had those moments.

June 3

I was happy to get a text from this girl this morning asking if I wanted to meet up for coffee.

I know I've mentioned Kristine before, but we went to college together many moons ago and she recently got engaged and moved to our town. We don't see as her often as we probably could, but she's a smart, empathetic chick so our time together is always a blessing. And this morning's get-together didn't stray from that norm.

June 2

I didn't watch the NBA Finals this evening, but the rest of my household was tuned in to the Warriors-Raptors action. And based on the intermittent outbursts from the family room, I could kinda sorta tell what was going on from my room (where I was camped out writing).

The younger version of Adam was quite often lighthearted and entertaining; I have clear memories of him ducking under a fence in the Lake District in the UK back in 1998, challenging me and our friend Kristine to brave potential paintballers and follow him into a field dotted with sheep. I also clearly remember him slipping and falling in the mud, and then popping back up so quickly that I nearly laughed myself silly over the scene. That was then.

He's mellowed quite a bit over time and those moments of carefree goofiness are fewer and farther between, but tonight as I heard him chanting "Warriors! Warriors!" over and over again, I was transported back to those simpler times. And for that little taste of back-then, I'm thankful.

June 1

It was a laid-back first day of summer vacation that featured The Sims, Club Penguin, and the Nintendo Switch (for the kiddos) and some shopping (for me and Abby).

It also included a trip to 7-Eleven (for Brady) and Coldstone (for the rest of us) for some icy cold booyah-school's-out-slash-good-job-this-year treats. Summer vacation ushered in summer-y temps, so it was a simple blessing to just sit outside for a while with my people.