Happy happy, joy joy

So.

I was looking through my pictures a few nights ago and I kept seeing a theme.

Simple things, huge smiles.

I'm so thankful for happy (most of the time) kids.

Lately, they love playing together.

I love that too.

Even when they fight and I make them play in separate rooms, they don't last two minutes.

The little slapping matches are annoying at times, but it always works out.

Today I even heard Eden trying to teach Micah a Bible verse after he took something from her.

I was upstairs getting ready, and they both were down.

It was a minute that I smiled, from the inside out.

I've been a lot happier lately too.

I've been spending a lot of time reading the Bible.

Acts.

It talks about how Christians are supposed to act, maybe that's why it's called Acts.

I've also been reading a marriage book.

Simple things, basic things, things that bring me joy.

I am so cynical sometimes when it comes to Christian books, but this one is great. Cheesy at times, but addressing some things that I've never even realized that I do. For example, not telling Mike things first. Even little silly things, I usually tell someone on the phone and this writer talks about how it takes some of the pizazz out of it. No story is ever as good the second time around.

And view your spouse as perfect. This one is hard, duh, because it means you overlook the negative. 

Marriage is such a gift, and if we let it, such a blessing, and a million other nouns and adjectives too.

*

Often at the end of the day I think of my favorite moment.

This may be sappy, but it's the extra long kisses from Mike that are often my favorite.

Even more than this:

Could she be any cuter?

She quit napping.

I knew it was coming.

She still has a quiet time where she reads books or does whatever in her room.

Today, that expanded to the bathroom.

Yeah.

She came downstairs, saw me around the corner and tried to run back up the stairs.

I caught her with my words "Eden, come snuggle", because she can never resist.

She came to me and laid in my lap.

I looked at her glistening face, yeah, glistening with my makeup. 

*

After Eden's fun quiet time, we painted our toes and let them dry in the sun.

Beautiful day, beautiful day.