I must say that I can’t believe I’ve been at this for five weeks already.  It feels like time has gone by so quickly this summer.  When you have a little one as small as Esmae, every day truly is a transition of some kind, and just keeping up with them is a full time job—I don’t deal with change as well as the kids, apparently.  I have been forgetful and sleepy to say the least, but learning to love this time of tired eyes, coffee a couple times a day and laundry out my ears.

For whatever reason, it was a quick list of thankfuls this time around.  I have been thinking them up all week long as I’ve thanked the Lord for sweet moments as they’ve passed.

1. I love cooking dinner. I love the challenge of making things that are healthy taste good and still be kid friendly.  Many of my meals are not what most would call “kid-friendly” but our kiddo likes it, and that’s another thing I’m thankful for.
2. I love watching the morning sun peer through the trees. There’s something dewy and fresh about it.
3. I love to make healthy smoothies on hot days.
4. I love when I put Esmae in specifically Burt’s Bees or Gap sleepers because she is so soft and cuddly. It makes me want to snuggle her forever.
5. I love that my husband and I have college friends and even high school and grade school friends who are still a part of our lives. It’s so neat when you spend time with people who know your story, and where you came from, and your most embarrassing stories, and then they get to hold your kids and tell them they love them.  It’s just honestly too much for my little heart to bear.
6. I love that my husband knows when I need a long hug. The other day he saw me in fetal position outside Esmae’s door as she cried it out for her nap.  (She just started rolling and she is having a really hard time transitioning to her crib and transitioning out of her swaddle at the same time.)  He helped me up and held me as I cried.  I’m thankful for his softness and care towards me.
7. I love dark chocolate peanut butter cups. Here we go with the peanut butter again.
8. I love when my kids take surprisingly long naps at the same time. It’s a rarity these days, but it’s good when it happens.
9. I love the Olympics! I especially love watching swimming, gymnastics and track.  It’s like two weeks of constant entertainment and drama. I especially love the intense competition between specific people like Katie Ledecky versus Sarah Sjostrom or Michael Phelps versus Chad le Clos or any of the American gymnasts versus the other American gymnasts (I can’t get enough of their half-hearted “good jobs” or their stiff, fake hugs.  It really is too much to cheer for your own teammates, isn’t it?).  In other news, isn’t Lececky the coolest cat around? Woah.
10. I love boxed macaroni and cheese. I try to buy the organic kind so I feel better about myself while I eat more than half of the box by myself.
11. I love putting bows on my bald baby’s head. They assist her with being just so cute and girly without needing any hair at all.  Win-win.
12. I love sharing an i-calendar with my husband. That way there’s no excuses when we double book or make plans.  It keeps me sane (in one area of my life, of course).
13. Finally, I love being able to walk cool places like the library, the park, and downtown restaurants. It feels special and extra “ours” when we walk there.

You guys aren’t very good at sharing your “loves” back, but I’ll take your word for it that there are, in fact, things you love (or are there? JK, JK.).  If you keep scrolling down, there’s a place for you to post if you so choose.

Happy hot hot hot day, depending on where you live.  It’s almost Friday everywhere, though, so there’s that to be thankful for.