Pure Joy

Today was a long day...and short at the same time. Ever had one of those? I rushed all day long at work. And when I got home I was supposed to go to the grocery store...where I would have rushed so that I could get home to relieve my parents of kid duty. But by the time I got home, I just couldn't rush anymore. So I stayed. And ate. With my family. I'm so glad I did.

Before I left for work I set out clothes for Elise; brown jersey capris and a lavender t-shirt. When I got home she was in bright pink pants and her lavender t-shirt. In the thick of potty training (one of the worst jobs a parent ever has to do), it's not unusual for her to be in a different pair of pants when I come home than when I left for work in the morning. So I asked, "Did she pee in her pants?" "No," was the response. "Oh, did she poop in her pants?" Now I was a little concerned because she's actually been doing really well lately and hasn't had an accidents in weeks. "No," again was the response. The confused look on my face must have prompted my mom to volunteer the real reason for the change in attire: "She wanted to wear her yellow pants," was the response I got. All I could do was laugh out loud at the insistence of our baby girl in wearing her pink "yellow pants."

Pure. Joy.

And Jack. He's been learning about reducing, reusing and recycling at school. So the last few weeks have been consumed with different ideas about how to reuse the things he has. As I dragged them to the second grocery store of the night, I promised them icees if they could make it all the way from Rainbow to Target without whining. On the way, Jack was telling us all about how he could reuse his icee cup to store worms from our yard to bring to the cabin. And then maybe he'd rinse it out and use it for water if he got thirsty. I admire his determination to use a cup in as many ways as he can think of. I'm not so appreciative of the worm-infested drinking vessel he's willing to reuse a third time.

These are the things motherhood is made of. Appreciating the humor and innocence in the process of your children discovering the world. A world God has created for us to enjoy. Seeing the world through the eyes of a child and marveling at the wonder of it. This is pure joy.

Thank you, God, for these three blessings of pure joy.