It's the Little Things..

For nearly an entire summer while home from college one year, I lived with my aunt, uncle, and cousin.  My parents had decided to build a house and were prepared to wait awhile for their old house to sell.  However, two days after putting it on the market, the house had two offers and my parents (and myself!) were homeless.  They moved in with a single friend of theirs that had a spare bedroom and I was shuffled off to live with my extended family.

Aside from having my own phone line (my bedroom was in the office that they used on occasion to work from home), the thing I remember most about my time living with them is something that happened each night at the dinner table.  Not only would they all sit down together to a home cooked meal each night, but during the meal, each member of the family would go around the table and talk about the best thing that happened that day.  Since I often joined them for dinner, I would participate too.  It was a great exercise to force me to stop and think about my day (regardless of my current mood) and find something good that happened.  Some days it was easy and I wanted to mention two or three things.  But, some days it was very, very hard and my "thing" might be, "the soda machine gave me an extra quarter back".  

Since we've been taking it super easy this week (in the hopes of recovering by Halloween), I have been able to sit back and absorb all of the wonderful things going on in my life.  We've slowed down quite a bit and because most of my time with Amelia has been spent playing on the floor and reading ridiculous amounts of books, I've noticed some very interesting things coming from Amelia's mouth.  

Case in point:

(While trying on one of the way too many pairs of winter boots Amelia owns):

Me: Are those too tight?

A: No

Me: Are they too loose?

A: No, me like them.

Me: Can you walk in them okay?

A: Yes, Mommy!  They are just fine!

(While doctoring "sick" GG--one of Amelia's favorite pastimes):

A: GG very sick. Me take temperature.  GG have fever.

GG:  Do I need to go to the doctor?

A:  No, that not necessary.

(While playing with Amelia's farm animals, a goat comes trotting very quickly in my direction):

Me:  AHHHH, please don't get me goat!  Slow down!

A: Its only pretend, mommy.  This goat no hurt you.  Just pretend.

Me: Oh, okay.

A:  See mommy?  This goat be nice to you. 

(At this point the goat is stroking my face and hair very gently and this is gives me a "smoocher").

But, my "best thing that happened today" for Monday occured when Amelia was drawing on the counter near where I was preparing dinner.  She was on her third sheet of paper and chatting away about all of the things she was drawing.  A long squiggly line was a snake.  A jagged line with a few loops was her name, then my name, then "dad's name", then Truman's name.  Then, I said, why don't you draw the Winking Guy.  

(Note: this is the term we use to refer to a smiley face of any sort.  Mostly, this term came from the gigantic "winking guy" that is painted on a shed near our house---Zumbehl and highway 94 for you locals--that Amelia loves to point out each time we drive by.  The "winking guy" phenomenon has also been intensified during our Costco visits.  Amelia is always in charge of the receipt that gets checked at the door and without fail, every time the receipt checker draws a smiley face before handing it back to her).

So anyway, I turned my back for a few minutes to start sauteing some vegetables and next thing I know, Amelia is squealing with delight over her creation.  When, I turned around, this is what I saw:

"winking guy" through the eyes of Amelia Ward

It may not look like much to you, but I was so proud of my little girl and she was awfully proud of herself too! She pointed out his hair and he even has teeth (located about 1/2 inch under his chin).

Oh yes, life is good.