Took a reconnaissance hike this evening to check out a new trail for our hiking club. Beautiful trail, beautiful wall, beautiful night!

Salem: Not just witches.

This is the only photo I took today. A quick shot of the girls while walking home from the Y. A moment earlier they were walking in step with each other, talking about something, just out of my earshot. By the time I noticed and snuck the camera out they had separated and moved on to other things.

Such are our days. Full of tiny things- fiddling hands, new discoveries, busy eyes and minds. Rarely are we looking in the same direction or considering things from the same point of view. And that’s what keeps our days, even the most mundane among them, from sinking into sameness.

The instructions tell us to fill in the circles when we’ve completed the daily workout. So naturally, we decided to use smiley face stickers.

There has been a rekindling of our love for Monopoly in recent days. This game lasted a good hour and a half before we declared it over.

But not before:

*Catherine played banker and made correct change almost every time.

*Esme bought St James Place from Catherine for $2000. (what!?)

*Mama collected two ‘Get out of Jail Free’ cards, but never wound up in Jail.

*We almost declared Esme bankrupt…and then found her stash of $500 and $100 bills under the game board.

*I realized that I was actually playing the game with the girls and not playing ‘for’ them.

Sorry babies, toddlers and other reasonably cute people at church today- these two were the cutest things this morning. Hands down.

Posting this photo is a bit out of my comfort zone. I don’t like drawing attention to myself, yet want these photos to be an accurate record of the year and this is where I am now.

I am thankful for this space to practice. Even with its crumbling ceiling and ancient, peeling wallpaper. It is a peaceful, clear place to rest and stretch and succeed and fail and to try again. I fully appreciate the privilege of having an entire room to myself and am mindful of my time spent in it.

I’m not the fastest or the strongest or the fittest, but I do like to see the daily data from my fit bit.

I will admit that when this funny girl came into the kitchen and wanted my attention my back was turned and I was just a tiny bit burned out by the many similar requests of the day. I was very close to not turning and brushing her off with a quick word so that I could finish what I had been doing.

I am so glad that I turned. What I saw was more than just a kid in a Santa hat blinded by wrapping paper. It was a creative, uninhibited, silly girl who wanted to share her joke with me. Her dance was only bested by her giggle coming from behind the wrapping. Once she knew I was watching, she stopped, posed and asked me to take her picture. Viewing it, she collapsed into belly laughs and left the room sporting a grin from ear to ear.

A not so subtle reminder to me that not every moment in the day is going to be awesome, but so many of them will be. Don’t risk missing the great ones!

Esme always takes a well balanced approached to her tv watching.