magic.

my days are full of magic right now, the kind that you only notice if you stop wishing for more time to wash dishes and start realizing how many amazing things are in your path.

yesterday was one of those days.

i woke up to a smiling baby.  because our air conditioner was being less than efficient, we had to leave so that maintenance could work on it.  we went to the library as a family. there was a preschool story time going on and it was like a little snapshot of what i have to look forward to.

it was very exciting. 

we found lots of cool board books.  maggie likes books, so i'm learning (i promise, it's her natural liking!).  i feel like the library will continue to be a place that we visit often. 

we went to the mall, and it was fun.  baby girl slept a little bit, and when she got hungry she was even pretty good natured.  we wandered around and found lots of good stuff (uhm, why is baby gap so expensive? i mean, i don't love everything there, but seriously? who pays $40 for a baby outfit? give me a break. i know what those outfits see.). 

then we went to lunch at a new place. and the heavens opened and the rain came pouring down.  we didn't have an umbrella with us, so when it was time to go, we put baby girl in the stroller, pulling the waterproof sunshade over her seat, which was hooked to her stroller which has another waterproof sunshade that covers all the way over, and we ran through the rain.  my slippery shoes meant i didn't run much for fear of eating it in the parking lot.  but about 2 minutes into the adventure, i realized it felt really good.  walking in the pouring rain felt GOOD. it was warm and lovely.

baby girl had missed her naps, so she was a bit of a crab.  but we came home and she slept for a while and we watched psych and it was lovely. 

and then we did family pictures. and she was so good. she was SO tired by the time we started (around 7 pm) but she did so well.  i hope they come out good. i can't wait to see them! 

and then we sat, in the dark, and ate dinner and baby girl slept in my arms, finally exhausted by the day. 

it was magic.  why, you ask? because i got to spend it with my family. i love this family, i love this life, i love the challenges that it brings, i love the growth that i'm seeing in myself, and i love how precious this little girl is.  she belly laughs and giggles and babbles and plays. today, she brought her toy to her mouth for the first time, demonstrating some more motor skill development that we've been working on. she rolled over this past weekend, and she sounds like she says "hi" a lot (probably because i say it to her all of the time!).  she loves people more than toys. she is growing like a weed.  she is a joy.

and my husband? he is a rock. he makes me laugh. we like the same things (we just finished four seasons of psych on streaming netflix, and season 5 is in the mail, but in the meantime, we found out that there are pineapples in most of the episodes and we've decided to watch it again to find them--and that's just how we are).  he keeps me sane, he listens to me, he wakes up early on friday mornings so that i can sleep and then takes the baby so that i can grade.  he is such a huge blessing to me.  and he's deliciously cute, too.  i'm more in love with him than i ever was, but differently and in more complex ways.  how could you explain to your dizzy infatuated dating self that you'd love this man because he has the power to calm your crying baby when you can't? that he fills in the gaps for you when you can't face another fussy minute? or that you love that he has decided to take on cooking sunday dinners or that he knows that he needs to go to the store for you before you even ask? that you can just reach over to him, grab his hand, and he knows what you are thinking?

you can't.  but that's the magic of true love.  it just keeps developing, changing, and growing. i may never be the world's best housekeeper (dusting is just not something i really think about doing and i can't even comment on the state of our bedroom right now), but i hope that someday my family will know that i worked hard to love them truly.

that's the greatest gift i can give.

i am glad i am feeling this way today, at the end of our summer break. musicboy goes back to school on monday, the real school where he is away for very long stretches.  baby girl and i are going to have to find ways to cope and keep ourselves occupied.  i think we can do it.  but we will miss him.

realizing the precious blessings in my life helps me appreciate the time that i have with them even more.