Small Things on a Friday

We are so apt to pay attention to the big things in our lives, aren't we? Weddings, births, vacations, emergencies, parties, milestones. Big things. Often we forget about the little things that keep us going day to day. Morning routines, daily habits, workplace friends, conversations with our family. Life can feel monotonous at times, but when those little daily happenings don't happen anymore we notice them. It should serve as a reminder that those small things, really aren't small after all. When Tyler was a baby I used to look at him laid out on a blanket on the floor and will him to do something. Roll over, sit up, crawl, talk. Of course, the next thought was Don't grow up! A losing battle, obviously.

This week's moments included watching my son record his Fresno adventures in his Book of Friends. This kid has a whole journal devoted to his friends. He writes up a description of each one and asks me to take pictures of them when we are together so he can paste them up in his book. This morning he worked hard on his book, coloring and stapling and writing. He included the friends he made at Dinkey Creek and all his VBS buddies from this last week.

As a kid I moved around a ton. By fourth grade I had lived in three states and attended four schools and by the end of high school I had gone to three more schools. These aren’t the best circumstances for lifelong friendships, though I do have a couple friends from junior high still. My kids will have the opportunity to grow up with friends they have had since infancy, which is something I have always wanted. It's small, while really not being small at all.

In 1993 my parents moved us back to Sacramento, which is where they both grew up. Gunther's has been a part of my memory since I was a little girl. One of my earliest memories is of going with my Grandpa to pick up my uncle who worked at Gunther's. I remember the wooden booths and clown cones and the thrill of still being in the ice cream shop after it closed while my uncle swept up. The best thing about Gunther's is that it never changed. It's still the same ice cream shop that my uncle worked at as a teenager, that I went to as a kid, that my grandmother went to as a college student. I love being able to give these little memories to my kids.

While our lives have lots of big, memorable moments, those small moments are what hold us together. Our kids sweetly helping each other with homework, Friday afternoon trips to get ice cream, long summer days at the pool, trips to the fair, laughing about classic tv together, road trips with endless games of "I Spy", morning snuggles before the day starts...the list is endless. The beauty of camera phones is the ability to capture really teeny tiny moments, some of which are so fleeting I miss them completely. The big moments are really just occasional exclamation points in the stories of our lives. The small ones are what make the story real.

it's the little things

A few of the "little things" that have blessed and encouraged me this week:
A sweet message from my dear friend, Nikki, in response to my posts about body image. Nikki and her husband, Jordan, are missionaries in Manila and are expecting their first baby in a few months, which is SO EXCITING! I love her and wish that she lived close by. I don't have a picture of her, but please do visit her blog and say hello.

Proud boy! With a mouth full of ice cream.

 Good grades!! Both my kids got fantastic grades this year and earned themselves a free ice cream at a local parlor. I am especially proud of my boy, who had a great year. Repeating first grade was the best thing we ever did for him. I am so proud of his improvement. This kid reads for fun now.

SUMMER! We had our first full day of summer yesterday. It was amazing. Farmers market, playdate, afternoon at the river. It does not get any  better. Also, I am tired.

The cove we played at yesterday. We have been awake 3 hours and the whole time my son has been begging to go back.

Forever Friends. Forever friends are hard to come by. I am so thankful that God has blessed us with more forever friends than anyone has any right to have. Aaron and my very first forever friend was a wonderful man named Jason. We have loved him like a brother for the last ten years. Two years ago Jason introduced us to Carolyn who would, a year later, become his wife. Within minutes of meeting her I knew that she would also become a forever friend. She and I have probably the most honest and real friendship I have ever had. We laugh together and cry together and pray for each other. I love Carolyn. Oh, and Jason, too.

Aaron and Jason

Beautiful Carolyn and me

Jason and Carolyn are leaving Sacramento to start a new adventure in Nashville while Jason pursues his PHD and Vanderbilt University. I couldn't be more proud of what he is doing while also being miserable that he is taking his sweet wife away from me.There are two consolations to this: 1) both their entire families live here, so they have to come back to visit and 2) I am adding "visit Nashville" to the Life List.

These are a few of our forever friends. There are no less than eight beautiful people missing from this photo.

A blog that I really enjoy, Hello Hue, encourages her readers to remember and be thankful for the little blessings in life. Each week, on Fridays, she lists all those who have participated in "it's the little things" that way we can all read about, and hopefully be encouraged by, each others blessings.