Monday, March 29, 2010

This evening

John and Kristine very graciously lent us one of their digital cameras to use until we get a new one. This means I can once again take tons of pictures... even "unimportant" pictures that turn out badly and get deleted before they even hit the computer. Ah, the freedom.

So, here are some "unimportant" pictures of a very ordinary evening at our house.

I thought if I made Elisa's dinner into a face she might eat more of it. But she took three bites and then kept insisting on "fruit snacks" (which are a recent addition at our house and since they are pretty much just sugar, Elisa LOVES them.) So we bribed her to take 10 more bites so that she could get dessert. Her choices for dessert were ice cream, vanilla wafers, or fruit snacks. And yes, she chose fruit snacks.

After dinner Elisa started playing with her stickers, and before we knew it she had stuck one on Jonathan's head. He went along with it at first...

...but eventually he didn't think it was too funny.

We went on a short walk after dinner. Elisa didn't want me to take any pictures of her. But she was so cute that I snuck one anyway.

Here's Jonathan showing off his new tongue smile. He sure loves his dad. I don't know who he likes more, Greg or Elisa, but I feel like I come in third on the list... which is funny considering that I'm the food supply.

Elisa kept hopping down the stairs saying, "boing!" She is such a big girl now.

So that was our ordinary (and yet extraordinary) evening. Each day I feel so thankful for my beautiful family. I love the ages of our kids. And I love each new age and stage that comes. I love seeing them interact with each other and with Greg. I think of all the older people who tell me, "I miss the days when my kids were little; those days go by so fast. Cherish them." And I can already feel these days slipping through my fingers.

This is not to say that life is perfect (or even close to it). We still have moments during the day full of whining, crying, and fits. And some days it seems that bad moods are the norm and the lovely moments are the exception. But it's all worth it when I see two little faces smiling up at me... and I turn to meet Greg's eyes, and we shake our heads in wonder and say, "so cute."

4 comments:

MaryJane said...

No such thing as an "ordinary" day when your kids are little. Unfortunately you don't realize it until they're not little any more. That's why we get grandchildren--so we can appreciate those special years all over again.

Caleb and Anna Fields said...

Those kiddos of yours are beautiful! And I agree, the moments slip by so quickly, and somehow, graciously, the good, beautiful memories seem to stick and the other stuff fades away... but at least you don't have to say you come in second place to a dog!

Christa Forsythe said...

I loved your pictures and thoughts! It is great to see your kiddos growing up! Thanks for the encouraging words on my blog. It has been so hard with Eden and I have the same thoughts you shared. She is so fussy and hard to be around that it takes a lot out of me. I listen to her crying a lot! Just wonder if it is a season or if something is wrong! Thanks for the encouraging words!

Unknown said...

My mom used to make our food into a face. I loved it!