Apples and Roses

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . . our blender finally giving up the ghost after over a decade of service.  We had to use the immersion blender to finish making our smoothie.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . seeing some vibrant, red-and-white striped roses blooming like crazy while the little kids and I were out for a walk.  I think the variety is called Fourth of July.

. . . passing a little, espaliered apple tree, and noticing from its ID tag that it is an Anna Apple, which I later learned is a variety that requires few chill hours to produce fruit.  If we settle in a warm climate, I may just have to plant an Anna Apple for little Anna.

Holding My Head High

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . getting my neck fixed this morning.  My muscles are still sore, but at least things are straightened out and on the mend.

And another thing . . .

. . . my sore neck sapped my energy and motivation yesterday, so I spent the evening reading Princess Academy.  When I finally went to bed I couldn't fall asleep, so I eventually just got back up and finished the book.  I enjoyed it, and it got me thinking about something my mother-in-law once said.  She commented that she prefers to read young adult fiction, because it tends to be clean, inspiring stories of people cultivating the best in themselves.  The more I read these days, the more I find myself agreeing with her.  It's nice to read something that pushes the envelope upward rather than downward.

A Concert and a Prayer

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . . Anna waking up an hour early.  Groan.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . helping out at Joy's class today.  Two of the girls gave us an impromptu concert on the patio, performing the Alphabet Song and Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star (which, conveniently, are sung to the same tune).

. . . Joy praying that my neck would feel better.  It's still pretty sore and I think I need a follow-up adjustment, but my daughter's prayer helped.  So did hugs from the big kids.

Bees and a Dive

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . . getting worked over by the chiropractor.  Carrying a baby around all the time really pulls things out of place.

. . . Calamity Joe taking a dive off our spinning desk chair (which his mother has warned him not to stand on countless times).  I wasn't in the room when my son went down, but I could instantly tell that I was hearing an "I'm injured!!" cry and not just a fussy "I'm bummed" cry.  His bloody lip wasn't pretty, but it should heal without medical intervention.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . watching lots of bees buzzing around a flowering bush, their fuzzy bodies dusty with pollen.

. . . husband hugs.

Pain in the Neck

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . . lots of neck pain.  Every now and then, when I crane my neck to the left at just the right angle to kiss a baby I'm holding, I feel something shift out of place and I know I'm in for a sore neck until I get to my chiropractor.  Good thing his office opens early tomorrow.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . Daniel making Anna laugh by throwing a stuffed dog up in the air.  It was fun to hear her crack up each time he did it.

Lassi, Catch, and Hugs

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . tossing a ball around with Daniel.

. . . Anna hugging me back when I picked her up from her crib and held her close.  I love when she does that.

. . . blending up a strawberry lassi to share with the kids.  Yum.

A Goose and the Pawn that Roared

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . playing chess with Joy.

. . . cuddling Anna.

. . . singing "Irish Blues" to Daniel; it's the easiest way to get him to hold still when I'm changing his clothes.

. . . playing Duck, Duck, Goose! for our home evening activity.  We invited some neighbor boys to join us, and one kid got such a kick out of being "it" that he just went around and around without ever saying "goose."  After he "ducked" me for the seventh time I tapped his back and said, "Goose!"  He stopped in his tracks, trying to figure out what had just happened and whether he needed to start running.  When he realized I was just teasing him, we all had a good laugh.

And another thing . . .

. . . when Joy got up this morning, the very first thing she did was walk over to our chess set and start playing against herself.  She always makes the white team stomp the daylights out of the brown team.  This afternoon I played a few games with her and in our first match she checkmated me in about ten moves using a measly little pawn.  After that embarrassing debacle I paid more attention and won the next two games.  Phillip then played a match with her, and though he won he acknowledged that she has made a lot of progress.