Thoughts on an early Saturday morning

The night before last I had gotten to bed late, and all yesterday I felt the effects. I was tired, cranky, overwhelmed, etc. So last night I avoided getting anything such as laundry or clean-up done in favor of getting to bed early and getting a good night of sleep. What happened? I woke up at 3:00 AM still processing all that has been making me feel cranky and overwhelmed. :(

So I thought I would write on my blog and focus on all of the blessings of the past few days rather than dwelling on my frustrations...

Evan and I had lunch outside the other day, just the two of us. We sat under the Maple tree that we planted when we moved to our house. (My husband saw us sitting there and snapped this picture.) Evan was soooo chatty. It's so nice to have that one on one time with each of my kids.
We picked up my nephew, Robbie from preschool yesterday. Robbie is such a sweet boy, and always has such an enthusiastic greeting for Evan and me. He usually bolts out of the school and then runs into my arms for a big hug, and then gives Evan one too. This time Evan wanted the first hug. When I said that Robbie was about to come out of the school, Evan pushed me aside, stood right in front of me and spread his arms out wide waiting for Robbie! Robbie did not disappoint. :) This whole scene gave me the biggest smile!

We are big fans of this sweet little boy!
Evan was playing with his friend, Ryan, this afternoon. They decided to ride their bikes, of course. Evan opted to wear Ryan's football helmet instead of his own bike helmet because, well, it "looked cool". I couldn't object because it was probably an even safer option. :)

Today my sister, Karen, brought my Aunt Shirley's doll cupboard for Caroline. This cupboard was made by Caroline's Great Great Grandpa for his granddaughter, who was our Aunt Shirley. When we were little, my sisters, my cousin, and I would play with it and all of the tea sets and kitchen gadgets that went with it. When Caroline came home from her playdate tonight, I had it all set up in the playroom for her. She was thrilled! Seeing my daughter play with something that has such a family history made me shed a few tears. ;)
I also received two other special momentos. One was a watch that I just love because I can wear it and remember my sweet aunt. The other was a set of china, originally my grandmother's and then handed down to my Aunt Shirley. I have so many memories of my aunt serving special family and holiday meals on it. I am looking forward using it for our Thanksgiving meal this year.
I am richly blessed.