these are the days.

Ahhhhh, I had...just one of those days.

It was a day that left me happy & comfy & cozy.
It went like this:
Hubby took Sam off at school while I showered. Yes I have to mention the shower part because that is major...a shower. I even brushed my teeth, put on real clothes & make-up, too!
We (hubby & I) started out the day by visiting a preschool to see if it was a right fit for James. Then we dropped the boys off with my dad (it was my dad's Thursday with the little boys). Hubby & I ran some errands together & then headed to eat lunch just the 2 of us. Now, this was not supposed to be a "play hooky" day...BUT...it sorta turned out that way.
We sat in the restaurant just the 2 of us. We talked & laughed. It was so nice. Obviously we don't do that enough.
We didn't completely play hooky...we sat in this restaurant for 3 hours. We both got a good bit of work done (thanks to wi-fi), spent some time together AND had a nice meal!
Then we sat in the carpool line together to get Sam & then headed to get the little boys, too.
When we got home we noticed the sun was actually shining & the roads were actually dry, even after the 2 days of rain we've had.
Ummm, "Hello, sun. Could you please re-introduce yourself. Haven't seen you in a while."
Since the grass was still too wet for the boys to actually play in the yard, we decided to get the boys outside anyway & go for a walk around the block.
Now this "walk around the block" was soooo "Norman Rockwell". Really!
Picture this: After spending the day together, hubby & I were kind of snuggly with each other, so we held hands as we walked down the street. Our boys were so happy to be outside that they were beaming (and being nice to one another). Sam & James rode their scooters in circles around us - having so much fun - & little Max was just running to keep up with them. He was grinning from ear to ear & moving as fast as his legs would take him. Everyone smiling!!!! Nobody fighting!!!! Ahhhh, heaven!!!
It was just a nice family moment. Being a photographer, I snap photos constantly in my brain, even when I don't have my camera. That short walk was filled with moments I would've stopped time with my camera (or for today, just my brain). It was such a great feeling & I was filling my head with snapshots of this memory.
Somebody, quick, take a picture & slap it one a greeting card - that says "for the love of family"!
After the walk, we all headed to Target & the local sporting goods store to get the boys some "soccer stuff" for the new sport Sam & James are trying out this season. For dinner, we drove through McD's drive through to get the boys their favorite...chicken nuggets & french fries (nothing for hubby & I after eating such a big lunch).
On the way home, with the weather so nice, I asked hubby if I could try to get in a walk before it got dark & he gave me the go ahead. Yes, I "asked" if I could go since he would be stuck back at home getting the kiddos bathed & ready for bed.
My walk was the absolute BEST exercise I have had in a long time. I raced against the sun. I walked as hard as I could trying to get in as much calorie burning before the sun went down. I was booking it & smiling about it. Smiling about exercise...go figure! I even ran a little bit (it might not have really been a true RUN, but I made the effort to speed up a little).
This was my view while I walked:

As I walked, I went through the events of my day, evaluating the reason for my giddy-ness. I just smiled & thought "I like my life." My days are RARELY this picturesque. But today was just one of those days that made me feel warm & fuzzy inside. I loved the time I got with my hubby today. I loved being playful with him without the pressures of the world around us. That playfulness spilled over into how we parented the rest of the day. When the kids got crazy in Target, we didn't lose our cool. When the kids were going crazy in the car, we still made jokes with each other about how irritating it was. We seemed more relaxed during the stress of the bedtime ritual. We were calmer with each other & with the boys.
What an amazing day! On my walk, I had to seize the opportunity to thank God for visible richness in my life, visible signs of reality that today was good - we are a family, we have each other, we are healthy & we are loved. Tomorrow might not be like this. Tomorrow hubby will be gone to work as usual, I might get stressed, probably run late & might even have to put some really adorable boys in time-out.
But for today, I want to remember that it was just one of those days that I don't want to forget. I have the snapshots in my head to remind me of this day. Filed away, to recall when I need to put things into perspective.
Yikes, I just brought myself to tears. {sniff, sniff}
I made it home from my walk just as the sun said good night. I was grinning & thinking to myself that I had won that race - I got in a good 30 minutes - I walked my booty off to win that race!!! Good for me!!! (did I really just compliment myself?)
I came in to 3 boys in the bath tub. I stood outside the bathroom door & listened to my hubby trying to bathe & manage all 3 of them. Laughing & feeling unbelievably blessed at the same time.
What a day!!!!! Oh, and on my walk, I thanked God for my ipod. I was walkin' to a little Sugarland!
This song came on & very fitting for my day (I haven't blogged with music lately, so here it is):


"but the hard times pass, like the good times do, too...these are the days"