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I have to say, sweet friends, making it a habit to practice daily, purposeful gratitude of the beauty and joy that surrounds life right now has been such an unforeseen blessing. An incredible change in perspective. Attitude. Life in general. Taking note of those sweet, “small” moments in our existence that add up to bring the most joy. And believe me, they add up quickly!
Today, I am so very happy to share our “Most Meaningful Moments” from the month of March:
March 1st: Snowy fun outside…swinging, snowballs and climbing snow hills…nine inches, first of March!
March 2nd: Our classroom dance-break…due to state testing, we lost our afternoon break…watching the kids attempt the “Robot” was too funny and cute!
March 3rd: A huge “Mooooooooommmmmmaaaa” hug after coming back downstairs from putting laundry away; Baby Nugget dancin’ away, plopping around in her too-big-for-me slippers; the Purple-Headed-Monkey-Monster at bedtime…crazy little girls!
March 4th: My kids at school…I love teaching, and on long days like today, the extra hugs, silliness and hilarious dance-breaks make it all worth it <3
March 5th: Watching the “Buckle-Up Truck” game between the girls and “Daddy” before bedtime
March 6th: Ugh; not the best day…started feeling very poorly…so thankful for an amazing husband who came home from work to take care of the girls and me
March 7th: A phone call with my beautiful mom on her birthday…her efforts to make me feel better on her special day!
March 8th: Miss O’s uncontrollable laughter to the point of tears; an email from a sweet blogging friend, just thanking me for promoting this idea of daily gratitude and just checking in
March 9th: An unexpected meal from a coworker; finding out that the girls will be on soccer teams with friends; a sweet interaction with an adorable kindergartener, telling me, “You are a great teacher, because I just know.” 😉
March 10th: Having my sweet morning time with Baby Nugget; finally feeling well enough to write a blog post
March 11th: Monkey’s uncontrollable laughter while playing with Grandpa; 20 minutes of evening outside playtime in 65-degree weather
March 12th: “Look-at-me-Mama!” giggles from an upside-down Baby Nugget; a “You’re a really great teacher” from one of my students who has grown leaps-and-bounds
March 13th: Closure for a friend in a decision that affected us both in our careers; a close friend finally being able to share the news of her pregnancy after a longer struggle for her sweet miracle; the girls’ artwork creations from Grandma and Grandpa’s house
March 14th: Making a dent on packing; morning cuddles on the couch with Baby Nugget; the girls playing so. well. together
March 15th: Playing outside for 2-3 hours with the girls…swinging in the sunshine, and helping sweet Monkey learn to pedal
March 16th: Finishing grades for report cards at school, coming home to my sweet girls after a long day; a trip alone to a store; handing in my resignation letter
March 17th: Musical program at school…SO sweet; mini-celebration for Monkey’s birthday; Tuesday-night-undies-dance-party; ending the day with an “I-really-love-you-Mommy” from sweet, little Monkey
March 18th: Catching up with an old friend; a HOT SHOWER WITHOUT INTERRUPTION; seeing the girls with their grandparents (my husband’s parents); Baby Nugget turning the television to a music channel and dancing the morning away <3
March 19th: Baby Nugget eating toast with Nutella…sigh…such a sweet, snotty, chocolatey mess; an after-school conversation with a very missed friend
March 20th: Possible closure on a previous business venture; running into our HR corporation representative and receiving her “blessing” on my decision not to return to teaching next year; receiving a prayer box from a sweet friend and coworker…having her say a prayer over/for me…to have someone pray for me, meant the world <3
March 21st: Having such a great doctor for Baby Nugget’s early-morning immediate care visit; Baby Nugget and Monkey’s joint birthday party on such a gorgeous beginning-of-spring day…Baby Nugget’s cupcake endeavors!
March 22nd: Everything about Monkey’s fourth birthday…watching her have her OWN day; Miss O finally coming around midday to help Monkey have a better afternoon; time outside; sharing Monkey’s birthday cake creation with her…she loved the colors!
March 23rd: Some quiet alone time with Miss Observant while her sisters were sleeping, even if I did accidentally fall asleep while she was talking away to me
March 24th: Nothingness…just a lazy, movie-watching day at home; Baby Nugget hugging and kissing my hands; love her heart!
March 25th: Being able to get outside for Miss O’s soccer practice, for a breath of fresh air in the midst of the gloomy and cold late-winter weather
March 26th: The girls at bedtime…so silly, playful and funny…had to run and grab the camera to capture it all!
March 27th: Overcoming a rocky start to the morning with some serious disappointment, laying it all at his feet and washing it away into sweet Baby Nugget’s arms; the girls’ giggles during prayer time!
March 28th: Having everyone home together…little-girl giggles; Baby Nugget’s feisty expressions; Monkey falling asleep on the playroom floor mid-afternoon…alone time on the elliptical; bathtub quote of the night:
Monkey: “My hair matches Daddy’s hair.”
Miss O: “No, it doesn’t. Daddy doesn’t have any hair.” (touché!)
March 29th: Celebrating my one-year blog anniversary…still hard to believe it’s been a year! Reading the story of Mary Magdalene to our girls, which sparked such a wonderful conversation with the girls about Jesus and Heaven.
March 30th: A beautiful afternoon outside with the girls…having everyone home for the day: starting with a chocolate-chip pancake breakfast and ending with sunset popsicles
March 31st: Our family trip to our city’s infamous zoo…despite the insane crowds…to see the girls’ reactions to the animals was priceless! Topping off the afternoon with hours of playtime outside…perfect.
