I'll keep this brief...if that's at all possible for me.
I just want to remember waking up today, a bit groggy but needing to hit the floor running for not hearing my alarm.  Then waking up to Blaise (I usually savor my early morning to myself, if I don't crawl back in bed).  A beautiful morning it was.  Out the door early with the kiddos and a fabulous morning to myself, many, many thanks to my sister.
I delighted in a cup of coffee and just took it all in.  I want to say today is the beginning of a new...???  I just felt different.  I learned some things about myself, and in figuring things out, made my future seem so much brighter.  And truth is, is was brighter.  A brighter day, a brighter outlook, a brighter life. :)  Yes, I like that so much. I feel stronger, determined, capable, trusting, lighter, excited, free-er, just plain happier.

Thought of Janelle today about her recent posts of loving her kids, at this age, and having so much fun with them.
Sadly, I don't often feel that way.  I feel very swamped with duties, and schedules of plans I make that I sometimes feel like it's all too much- too much kids, too much stuff, too much to manage.  Just not a lot of fun.
BUT, this summer, I had a chance to play some board games with the kids, and we had so much fun.  What games?  Cranium Cadoo for one.  Had a blast!!!  Poor Dan, always competitive, can't be beat by the kids! Ha!  But some of them need that- to know they can't always win.  So we play two rounds. :) It was so neat how it was just like our favorite game Cranium, but suited for their level.  So much fun.
The other? Star Wars Monopoly.  I didn't know we didn't own the original monopoly.  So we learned on  the Star Wars version (a little weird, I may add).  The kids had so much fun!  It's funny how I think we're playing this game and they barely get it.  They are just way too young to get it.  But they had so much fun!  Ah, I so remember being little and wanting to do things bigger kids did. It is so neat to be the bigger 'kid', and get to play these games with them and just let them enjoy learning something new and feeling so much older!

And today, well, was great.  I had a glimmer of a thought this early morning that said 'I should go running today.'  Well, I didn't think much more of it than that, and certainly not when we piled out of the car at 4p after a long afternoon at my sister's house.  Blaise and Joseph fell asleep on the way home, leaving me to actually chat with Dan when he got home.  Then it just struck me, that it was so beautiful out, I should go running...now!  Rose had to dance at 5:30.  It was 4:40.  I told the kids they could bike down to the park with me while I ran.  I never saw them move so fast!  We had a lovely trek down there, and I ran a bit and then we came back.  All in 30 minutes!  My favorite was running while pushing Sam on his new bike with training wheels.  It's a fun little bike, but I stress little.  It's too small, so he has to pedal continuously to keep up with the others.  So I just pushed him while I ran.  And it was while we were out I kept thinking "this is just so much fun!"  I really do love to do things with my kids that they enjoy too.

Praising God, and thanking God for a glimpse of happiness today.  A glimpse of happiness that I can have every day.  Deo Gratias!