life lately + easter

Happy hump day! For the record, I think April Fool’s Day is one of the very stupidest things that has ever been made up in this world, right next to subaru truck cars and deep fried twinkies. But I do love Wednesdays! I start every Wednesday with piyo class which is most definitely my favorite of all the things I do to keep my booty in shape. This morning when I arrived at the gym for class I unzipped my yoga mat bag to find a large handful of hot wheels cars stuffed inside. It made me smile inside and out because, how awesome is having a kid really? It’s awesome.

Last week I completely slacked on any sort of productive anything, largely thanks to Netflix. If the hubs kept a journal, I’m quite certain that his latest entry would read: Dear Journal, I’m just really hoping that Meg finishes the vampire diaries soon, so that I can have my wife back. And if I kept a journal it would read: Dear Journal, I don’t understand how I can be so addicted to a show that is so ridiculous. The CW does it again!

This week it’s spring break and up until today it has felt like the epitome of summertime. Sun block smeared faces that still shine red, dirt and grass stained feet, playing outside with the neighbor kids from sun up until sun down. Sometimes spring gives us small sneak peeks into what life will be like in a short few months before it goes back to its cool winds and scattered rain showers. I love that about springtime, how nonchalant it tiptoes about. I love the inconsistency from warm and sunny to cool and blustery. It gives me the best of both worlds all wrapped into a tulip and cherry blossom covered package. Case in point: just last night around dinnertime, after a long day in the heat of the sun, the clouds rolled over and a windstorm picked up so abruptly that within seconds we were being pelted with tiny gravel rocks while we chased all of our patio furniture and children’s toys about the neighborhood, running against the wind in slow motion and calling out curses while the kids screamed in terror. It was rather hilarious, actually.

I know it’s only Wedneseday and I’m getting ahead of myself, but I’m so looking forward to Easter weekend! We will kick it off tomorrow with a s’mores roast, which is one of my favorite things in this life, a good s’more. And even more so with good company. But you know that already, I’m just sure of it. Over the weekend I might get a new easter dress and my boys will most definitely get snazzy new easter outfits, but probably not matching because I’ve never been a matching kids kind of girl. And the hubs will probably get a new easter t-shirt because t-shirts are who the man is. No long sleeves, avoid collars when possible, black and grey at all costs! I’m running a 5k and we’ve got a few easter egg hunts up our sleeves. Do you remember last easter? The hunger games of easter egg hunts? I’m so looking forward to that craziness again! Also, we found teenage mutant ninja turtle easter eggs at the marketplace along with a race car filled easter basket and I assured Jace the easter bunny would most likely get him those, so. I’d like to start into a “why, when I was a kid…” speech regarding easter merriment as a whole, but I’ll spare you.

Then of course there will be Easter dinner with our family, and that’s really what it’s all about to me. When I say “it” I don’t actually mean exclusively Easter, what I mean is our existence. I love traditional Sunday night dinners switching off with grandparents and cousins, the time we have together with these people that we are so connected to. In the large realm of it all I’m just sure that family is the answer to everything.

Listen, I know that I’m one of those barfy people who thinks that life is so very beautiful. But don’t let that fool you into thinking that I’m not afraid. I am utterly aware that at any given moment I could lose it as fast as I can blink, and that knowledge all but scares it right out of me. But I choose not to dwell on my fears while I’m trying to live life to the fullest, as I suppose dwelling on fears really is counterproductive. Life is short, and sometimes it’s dreadfully hard, but I believe that shouldn’t take away from the loveliness in it.

I’m not always perfect at this living life to the fullest stuff, mind you, but I do try. It’s largely to my benefit that I find such small and insignificant events so very dreamy. Sunday brunch, long evening walks by the river, a cup of coffee on the patio, listening to the radio while the sun streams in the windows, home popped popcorn, a good book, meaningful conversations, a trip to the market for eggs and cheese. These are all such small undertakings that to me are quite meaningful. While to some they the mundane of life, to me these are in fact the very moments that make up my life at all, like little puzzle pieces that are adding depth to this spectacular picture that I have been creating. It has always been about the small things to me. The small things make my life so majestic.

I would recommend that to everyone, finding splendor in the small things while still dreaming of the big things. It’s an especially helpful talent to have when life gets extra drab.

Speaking of life, here are some pictures of our life lately! Pictures of the small things. You know.