Happiness

Sometimes out of nowhere I notice how blessed we are. I always know it, but there are moments when it's suddenly so obvious for some reason. Yesterday it happened while we were hanging out in the backyard. We spent hours out there. Neely moved around some, from the porch swing to her baby swing to her playpen.
And I noticed again how sweet and joyful our kids are.
Playing in the dirt, Cason in his shark swim trunks with a leather belt. :)

Decorating their bikes with chalk, for their upcoming race.
We ate dinner outside and then stayed out there until it was time to come in and get ready for bed. Neely napped on the porch swing with me while Jess worked out and Paige and Cason played together. They were having the most fun I think they've ever had, chasing each other on their bikes and laughing hysterically. When I finally told them I was going to get them ready for bed in a few minutes, they screamed and ran to the playset so they could climb up and hide together in the back corner, hoping we couldn't reach them. Haha. They were so cute, huddled there all dirty, with their arms around each other.
You always see things from your own point of view, obviously, so I tend to think of this as the time in my life when I get to have babies. But once in a while I realize to them this is childhood. And they're each having a really happy one. It's awesome.