about happiness (and swings)

With awesome friends recently departed from dinner, girls put to bed, baby boys in their rockers and Laura staging the house for evening TV watching and snuggling, I took Stone outside to play and sat on the tire swing for a little. She stepped on to the patio and smiled at my silly antics on the swing. That's when it hit me hard. This is happiness. In this minute and with frightful clarity all the blessings in my life jumped to the forefront of my often-way-too-busy mind. On that swing while exchanging witty banter with the most amazing wife and mother in the world... it hit me. I am happy. Happy in my faith. Happy in my family. Happy in my work. Happy with my big dumb dog. Happy in my house. Happy. Happy my lawnmower put a chunk of wood through a window tonight. Happy I mowed the yard too short in one strip (thanks Ben). I'm just so freaking happy. There is no other shoe-to-drop to wait for. Both shoes, er, sandals tonight are well, happy. So, I'm going to soak it up.

The rolling, distant thunder and brisk Texas evening breeze was divine and addicting. I could've stayed out there all night. It's been easily 15 years since I'd really swung on a tire swing by myself. Truly let my head drift upside down, the rubber pressing against my shoulders and float around in aimless swaying circles. Everything looked so funny upside-down. I was cracking up as the blood rushed to my head. Check out those clouds! Wicked! No wonder kids love to hang out upside-down.

I'm only 30 and I'd forgotten... shame on me.

When was the last time you let go? Stopped. Reflected for a couple minutes? Exchanged some silly, witty banter about how cool you think you are (despite the broken window and terribly-mowed yard) with your spouse? When was the last time you walked barefoot on the grass? When was the last time you intentionally took a huge, deep breath filling every square inch of your lungs and exhaled as slow as possible? When was the last time you closed your eyes for a full minute (yes, full 60 seconds) during the day? When was the last time you hung upside down?! Find a playground. Swing a minute. Close your eyes. Count your blessings. Recognize the happiness around you. Appreciate it and for the love of God, be thankful for it. Turn off the noise in your life. Only you and God know what that is and we've all got some, so quit making excuses and turn it off.

Remember what it was like to see the world upside-down. Truly joyful, simple funny sights three hundred and sixty degrees! If you can't laugh at Stone running upside-down, you can't laugh at anything! Tonight and in life, I'm happy and you should be too. Haters gonna hate. I get that. To them, I say... God loves you, check out the funny pictures I took below and go find a swing.

ps. C&K I'm in love with your new addition and have no doubt that 17 years from now my boys will be fighting to get admitted to the Ivy League school that's going to scout her just so they can be closer to her.

pps. Special kudos to DDO for the new rope for the swing! Well engineered if it's holding my heavy self! Even the new door looks good upside-down!

Friday Afternoon Fun with Dad

So Laura went to her annual retreat with some lovely girlfriends Lindsay D. and Charlotte T. to San Antonio. Which means... a full weekend of daddio-on-the-patio time! Woohoo! These girls (and Stone) survived Friday night! Here are some pictures of our evening!

Cold, wet nose. Too close, too close! 

Balancing on the left foot for a quick magazine-quality stare quickly turned into a tumble and roll down the yard.  :-)

You know you love these cheeks!

Partners in crime...............

Who me????

Yes YOU! Caught red-handed!

Getting teeth so fast she doesn't know where to put that tongue anymore! :-)

Her favorite spot during daddio-on-the-patio time.

Good profile picture of Stone, staring longingly at the hardworking laborers next door.

More swing pics. On the swing by herself! Big girl!

Can this thing hold me?

It was only a minute. I only fell asleep for a minute. Did anyone see me?

I don't remember what she was talking about in these pictures but it was a mile-a-minute. Probably something about the grass-sand-water-ant "soup" they were making and trying to force me to eat. Yum...

Still room for two more next year but that's going to be one heck of a balancing act on this hammock!

Our schoolgirl (starting in 2 days!!!!!)

This picture taken seconds before she kicked her crocs off and advised me that when she says "Service"  that means that I'm supposed to go get her crocs and put them on her feet so that she can get off the hammock. (Keep dreaming girl)

Is it just me or is that bone Claire-sized?

Claire stands on the hammock for the first time (with a little assistance)!

BFFs. Amazing how cute they can smile after some mint chocolate chip ice cream!

beautiful evening with my beautiful babes in Geckoland.

Claire smirking but not quite smiling tonight despite having Laura, Lucy & Molly leaning over her say "Hey Smiley Smiles Smiley Smiler You Smiley Smiler You!" in a baby voice. She's strong-willed because it was making me crack up! Geez. Look @ that cute lil bald  head. Mmmm so kissable.

 

Fight it Claire! Fight the evil estrogen power! Lets go fishing instead!!!!   :-)

I was SO close to getting ALL FOUR girls smiling in one picture for the first time!

 

I'm not entirely sure Claire's face was a smile here and Popper slipped out of frame just in time. She's so elusive!

Lucy's mischevious little 4-year-old grin when she learned that the sprinkler can be use for both good AND evil ;-) Yes, my cactus are awesome. Eat your heart out :-D

Next we moved to the swing. Look @ those freckles or as her cousin Lilly calls them, "spots"!

Daddy just practicing catching a moving subject on film... Didn't do too bad in this picture but it took 100+ to get this one :-D (I won't photolog those ones!)

Who me? This is hard work! Molly caddy's me around the yard. So cute. Working so hard.

 

Molly showing her golfer which way the wind was blowing. Turns out, if your fingers are covered in snot it's really hard to throw a blade of grass in the air... Hence the perplexed, cross-eyed stare at her fingertip.



The family swing. The house could burn to the ground and fall in a sinkhole. As long as this tree and its swing remain unharmed... all is well in the world. If you cannot hear the laughter when you see Poppers in this pic, something is wrong w/ you :-)

  

Too cute not to zoom in a little. Laughing at the top of her lungs. I'm lucky I didn't see any of her dinner after these few swings. My little daredevil is about 6' up in the air and she kept saying "Wing me. Wing me. Ush me. Up Der. Uckles, Uckles (buckles), Higher uh Higher Ahhhhhh!!!!!"

Click on this picture.
Open it all the way in your browser.
Now reflect on the mystery buried in those dark eyes and how beautiful life truly is.

This photolog brought to you all courtesy of Laura who is the best wife and mother in the entire world. Without whom, none of the above pictures would be remotely possible and to whom I owe absolutely everything. And... to whom is currently standing in the kitchen laboring over ugly brass cabinet/drawer pulls. Stating repeatedly "I just can't SEE the kitchen w/ these things on. They're so hideous and distracting"