The Best Days

So, I don't know about you guys, but usually the best days are never what I expect them to be.

Like.  

When I try really hard, and put in tons of effort into an activity/trip/event, it is always  usually a flop.

I think it's because I romanticize things so much in my head, 

that there is no way the expectation can ever be met.  

And bless my poor little Tatum.  She has the same disease.

So when I say, "Tate!  We are going to have a game night tonight!" Her little head goes nuts!

She pictures all of us in matching sweaters. 

 Playing Just Dance3, pictonary, or quelf.

Laughing hysterically, giving enthuastiac high fives.  

When our team gets a point, we will pick each other up and spin around in the middle of the room.  

And just maybe an impromptu wrestling match? 

 Followed by a tickle war?  Of course a tickle war.  

And then a pillow fight.

And hide and seek after that.  

Obviously there will be some fresh popped pop corn (from a popper, not the microwave).

 Some crumpets (what are crumpets?) and some martinellis? 

 After our night of games, we will put on a movie in our basement, snuggle and giggle till we all drift off to sleep holding hands with one another .

So.. 

When we end up just playing 1 game of apples to apples (with no rules)

before separately dispersing to our bedrooms to watch tv

She is less than happy.

I cant say I blame her.  I can really (sadly) say, that my expectations of a grand event are rarely met.

I liken it to a much anticipated trip to Disneyland, where your 4 year old little princess cries all day because she is hot and tired and over stimulated.

Less than happy all around.

Which is to say I am so grateful for the simplicity of the best days.

The days that go without effort.

The days that end up making me teary eyed at night when I am laying in bed reflecting, and considering exactly what I need to thank God for that day.

I do thank God that these simple days, simple moments, happen more frequently than the grand events.

And I am also grateful, that I have the mind set to notice them, and appreciate them.

Not always.  But more and more frequently.

This weekend I documented a few of them.  

Take it away canon.

 Finding a food that Jack actually likes.. That has some nutritious value!  

Yay for avocado!  Does avocado have fiber?  We are rrreeeaallllyyy needing some fiber around here!

 Tatum learning to wash those stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid damned stupid 

Dr Browns bottles, and adding it to her daily To Do list.

Awesome.

 Tatum's first basketball game!  

Again.  Awesome.

And all I had to do was show up!

Awesome.

I didn't even have to make any food!

 My little JackJackMonkeyButt 

enjoying the time out.

 Jack (in his scrumptious new buzz lightyear jammies.  I loved them so much, that I didn't take them off of him ALL DAY!  Incidentally, I stayed in mine all day too.) (vickies for me.  No buzz)

 watching Ryan sing with his weird singy thingy guy.

You know these weird things that you push their belly and they sing?

Jack loves it.  

And  he especially loved when the singythingy and horsepuppet were doing a duet. 

Although, I think he was confused, because horsepuppet usually speaks Spanish.

Tell me you don't agree that horsepuppet speaks Spanish?

La cooook a raaa cha. La cooook a rrraaa cha is horsepuppets favorite song.

Ryan didn't know.  He's at work when horsepuppet speaks Spanish.

 Pudgy, dimpled, perfect little hands trying diligently to grab the ribbon on my slippers.

Be still my heart.

 While JackJack was helping me in the continuous quest to clean up Santa's left over disaster 

from Extreme Make Over Tatums Room Edition

The song "You're gonna miss this" came on my Pandora.

And I really sat there, in the middle of an endless disaster, 

with my little buzz lightyear trapped in a Tupperware

And I bawled. And bawled.

You're gonna miss this.

You're gonna want this back.

You're gonna wish these days

Hadn't gone by so fast......

There are days that I pray the day will just end.  

I am weak sauce.  I know.  

My life is actually cake.  But sometimes I just feel like I'm exhausted. 

And again.  I am so grateful for the things that give me pause, and remind me of just how unbelievably  fast these moments in life will be gone!  

It's so crazy.  And there is nothing you can do to change it.

So you need to relish in it as best you can!  As often as you can!  As thoroughly as you can!

 Just like big daddy here does over the Febreze commercials.

You know the ones.

Where they blindfold the people and take them somewhere dirty, and disturbingly disgusting, 

but pumped full of febreze?

And the people think they are on a lilac farm?

My Ry loves those commercials.

A little under the breath chuckle 100 percent of the time.

100 percent.

And just for good measure of proof that it takes nothing to create joy.

Brudder and Sissy snuggling on the couch also brings an immediate tear to my eye.

The fact that by the time I located my camera, and ran back to the living room, 

Tatum was actually holding Jack down is meaningless.

The moment actually happened.  We just had to help prolong it a little for documentation purposes.

And what is so wrong with a prolonged lovely moment?

Huh?  Huh?

Okay.

 The moral of this story, is to put

 a little less effort in to effort

and more effort into simplicity.How's that for inspiration?

In the words of my very favorite blogger

Kelle Hampton

 (You are really going to want to click that link)

Giddy up unicorns.