Books and Berries

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . bringing some blackberries home from the borrowed garden to share with my family. I tend to think of berries as a summer fruit; who knew they could ripen in winter?

. . . Pink Grandma coming over to play.

. . . giving flowers to a friend. She has watched our kids a lot lately, but she always makes it sound like we're doing her a favor by letting them come play. Bless her.

. . . going to my monthly book group. We spent an hour just talking about books we enjoy. I find that my favorite books are the ones where the writing is very engaging, and the book keeps me thinking long after I finish it. If I still think about it years later, and I enjoyed it enough that I could happily dive in and read it again, it's a winner in my book.

And another thing . . .

. . . Anna's still not that interested in solids, so I've started cheering effusively every time she allows even a microliter of food into her mouth. Perhaps it will encourage her, but either way it makes the whole process more fun for me.

. . . this afternoon I gave Daniel a big hug, then he said something I didn't quite understand. I had him repeat it a few times, then finally figured out that he was saying, "No smash Daniel." I gently kissed him on the cheek and asked, "Was that better?" "Better," he affirmed.