A New Day

As we sat around the table the other night as a family, we began reminiscing about random things. It was funny and sad to me all at the same time. Funny the things the kids remember about situations that I remember differently, or that I don't remember at all. And sad that there are so many seemingly mundane, day to day events that I will continue to forget.

In the days and weeks following the Newton, Connecticut tragedy, I realized how easy it was to enjoy every single moment (chaotic or not) with my family. It began to bother me when that ease began to be more work again. Oh, not in those times that are easy to enjoy, but in the day to day happenings. The following words from Gretchen Rubin's book "The Happiness Project" sum up pretty well what I've been feeling, and the conclusion I've come to:

"Bogged down in petty complaints and passing crises, weary of struggling. . ., I too often failed to comprehend the splendor of what I had.

"When life was taking its ordinary course, it was hard to remember what really mattered. I needed to change the lens through which I viewed everything familiar."

It's a process I know, but an important one I think. I have some things I've started to help me with that, but that's not really what this post is about. This post is just about a few random little things in our lives that I don't want to forget.

Ty is learning to drive, and it is terrifying. Not that he is a bad driver, not at all. It's just putting that control (and not having any control yourself) into inexperienced hands can be a little overwhelming. This inexperience I have some feelings about. I'm a rule-follower. It's what I do. But I also believe in preparing my children for what lay ahead and it really irritates me that they are expected to take a test (written driving test) on something that they have never experienced before. So, this has created a conundrum in my life and we have taken to giving Ty a little experience out on the road (without a permit). In my rule-follower mindset, this causes me great anxiety :) (Disclaimer: he has just about memorized the driver's manual, and has been asking specific driving situation questions for weeks and weeks)

Yesterday, Ty drove the family to lunch, and then promptly locked the keys in the car. It was hilarious and an adventure. I hope he learned to laugh at himself a little through the experience. Abbie nicely posted it on Facebook for the world to see. I'm sure he appreciated that.

Abbie is 13. And good at it. Gratefully, 90% of the time she is a lot of fun and her attitude is not reflective of many 13 year olds. She landed one of the leads in her middle school's musical, Fame, Jr. She has also been asked to choreograph 3 of the dance numbers, and assist in the choreography of the final dance number. She's a busy young lady.

Spencer has taken to reminding me that he knows in his heart what choice is the right choice to make, it's just that his head is faster than his heart.  I constantly try to stop and enjoy his 6 year old wit instead of just getting frustrated when he's pushing someone's buttons (because of the whining that ensues from the one being pushed).

It amazes me how alike four children can be, while being completely different at the same time. They can be exhausting, but when I stop to put on that other "lens" I remember what a joy they are in my life too.