Just another ordinary day...

Earlier this week, I told some friends that I really need to start looking at my calendar daily so I can at the very least keep track of what the date is. Some of the ladies pointed out that without their calendar to help keep track of their schedules, their day-to-day would look like scrambled eggs...I had to poke fun at myself because if I filled in my calendar, it would be so lame: Unload dishwasher, grocery shop, lay on the ground and wrestle, work out, fix lunch, clean lunch, go to park, play ships, wrestle, make dinner, clean dinner, bath, story, snuggle, bedtime....Our lives are certainly ordinary. No real schedules. We don't plan much, just fly by the seat of our pants. Not much going on from one day to the next. I had actually become slightly embarrassed about how extremely uneventful our family life is.

A few days ago, the weather was gorgeous. Chris was home. Ordinary day. Chris took Ethan to school in the morning. I finished feeding the girls breakfast. Then we surprised Ethan by picking him up from school early and spending the rest of the day at the zoo as a family. We got to watch our kids splash in a small kid's pond. Ethan got to pick out a "Nature Treasure" (a big clam shell). We watched the gorillas and the prairie dogs. Ordinary; nothing too special.

Yesterday was another beautiful day. We made last minute plans to meet up with a friend at the park. I got to watch Ethan and a buddy play guns and ships. Pushed the girls in the swings. Played with trains when we got home. Watched Ethan make a wise choice to have a good attitude about sparring class, then watched him come out of class sweaty and proud of his hard work. Just another ordinary day.

Today I got to watch Ethan try his best at Hapkido. Oh, I was so proud of my little bear. After, we went grocery shopping for a few lunch and dinner items. Ethan was in charge of keeping the girls happy while we shopped during their lunch time. He danced silly and made funny faces to keep them smiling. When we got home, he pulled one of his favorite moves---"Surprise" me by changing out of his uniform and into his pajamas...silly boy...so predictable. We played with our best friends at the park. My girls sat back-to-back in the baby swing. I listened to Norah sing a "lalala" song. Ethan climbed trees and to the very tiptop of the playscape. Audrey tried walking all the way home. Audrey made Norah laugh and laugh by covering her face with a plastic helmet. I snuggled Ethan on the couch for the longest time. While we talked, I smelled his hair. Chris called 4 or 5 times with nothing to say. Just checking in. I let Ethan go to sleep in my bed (we call them "Slumber Parties"). A day not unlike the rest. Just an ordinary day.

It hit me today....and I've fought back my tears several times today at the revelation...we are so incredibly blessed by our extraordinary ordinary life. I'm so thankful that day in and day out, we are not pressed down by exhausting schedules, heartbreaking illnesses, stress from jobs or finances or relationships. In the middle of our daily chores--the mundane dishes and laundry and messy faces, runny noses, cooking, cleaning, picking up in circles--in the middle of all things boring and ordinary, we have the most extraordinary, blessed family that is full of love and laughter and innocence. I can't find the words to tell God, "Thank you", so I've just sat before Him in tears. He knows what my heart feels. I want my children and my husband to know that I am the most blessed wife and mom because of them. This is absolutely not to say that during hardship and struggle we can't grasp God's blessings and joy; I am just acknowledging that I am so very thankful for the ordinary life we lead today....day in and day out....today much the same as yesterday....I am thankful for the little things that make today ordinary.






















This video was an excellent reminder of savoring the ordinary moments of our children's lives. If you're a parent, grab a tissue. I guarantee you'll need it *sniff*