It's the Simple Things...

Good morning, Sunday.
I think I love you.

Right now, the boys are running around playing ninjas, Kev has fun music on in the background, and we are sipping coffee and making pancakes together. It's a good start to our day.

For as long as we've been married, Sunday has always been one of the busiest days of our week, and though things have changed and morphed through the years, that fact still remains to be true. But, we are learning to slow and see the sacred. We are learning to focus on what the Lord wants US to focus on. And we are striving to really hear him - to truly listen.

And, as always - I love looking back over our week previous - and intentionally finding all of the little gifts that God has given me throughout. Little joys to focus on. So without further ago, here are just a few:

My top however many I end up with "little loves" for the week:

:: Coffee. In all of its various forms and locations. Especially at my favorite coffee shop with my favorite people whilst playing tic tac toe, the dot game, and Hangman.

:: Half off dining coupons. And belated Valentine's Day celebrations. At the location where it all began. Where he proposed and where we had our first dinner together as an engaged couple. And the crazyiest thing about this date was when we walked through the doors, I saw my uncle from way up in the county there - doing a week long conference for his job - so he paid for our entire meal. How I love him.

:: Kevy fixing my Great Great Grammy's dresser that I have had ever since I was a little girl. It was getting crazy rickety, and my Handyman fixed it for me. The man speaks my love language well, he does.

:: Watching Ransom watch "the guys." He finds them hilarious, and he loves to be a spectator of them playing outside. And they love to put on a show.

:: OH yes. I love this on SO many levels. This big boy is working to earn a game, and I tell you what - he cleans my floors better than I do. I'm going for brownie points with my daughter in law, someday. I figure it's a good goal to shoot for...

:: Bread experiments that somewhat end in flops. But by simply changing the name - it becomes something altogether different, and then it's okay. So, instead of my normal fluffy bread, it becomes "English Toasting Bread." Meaning, it's slightly more crumbly and heavy. I don't think that's really a lie. I look at it more like coming up with an entirely new breed of bread. It also becomes a lesson in swallowing my pride and gifting something less than perfection. It's the thought that counts, after all, right?

:: Hanging with this eclectic group of adults and college kids on Sunday nights, going on mission together, and striving to make God's Kingdom closer and more tangible to those in our communities around us. And I love doing it as a family. I love the sweet and the loud and the chaos and the quality time and the worship together as a group of all ages.

:: These three books. Favorites of all three of my boys and long been memorized by this Mama. When I look at my big almost eight year old, I am amazed that he was Ransom's age once. A long time ago.

:: Night time sparkler shows.

:: Chicky order forms. Although Kevy stands firm in never again buying a turkey, because he felt like he was slaughtering the family pet, I told him that I would try to be a better farmer this year, and we just might try our hand at raising a few meat birds and get a few extra layers, as well. Woot!

:: And lastly, pie making with the big boys - from start to finish, clean-up included - this was their little project that they worked on together.

:: Many hands make light work, so they say. That's a bunch of bull when it comes to wee ones. But many hands ARE good for making memories. And for licking bowls clean!


So, yes.
It's the simple things. Always the simple things.

Because "it's the joy of the small that makes life large," and what is life, really, other than a whole bunch of littles strung together to make one wild and crazy, beautiful, messy, big, living, loving LIFE.