Drinking it in...

It's about 4:30 in the afternoon, and we've been enjoying our Saturday in typical fashion. But something about today seems unlike the norm. I can't quite put my finger on it, and I think that's ok, I don't really want to; just want to savor it. Drink it in. We had a coffee cake in the oven and this morning for breakfast. The smell of that bread baking permeated the whole house and literally brought each child out from the bedroom to their seat at the table as if they were in a trance. Hot chocolate and marshmallows were waiting there for each. We ate together and talked about what we needed to do today, about the movie they watched last night, about silly things. Then the day has been spent doing typical Saturday stuff: running errands. But each stop brought my suspicions that the kids would start fighting or being naughty and my husband would start getting crabby about it. This never happened! We took our time picking out ceiling fans, and as the warmth increased as we got kinks in our necks staring up at all the choices, I really expected the kids to get crabby and they just didn't. They went with it, and participated. Onward to other small replacements pieces and fixer-up items we needed. Lucy announced it was lunch time! I expected a melt down since we still had a few additional stops but that never  happened. On to Buffalo Wild Wings where they played together nicely, ate great meals, and Mark and I were able to talk. Really. I not kidding, we were able to talk to each other!! :) Parents, you understand this right? And as the back of our truck continued to fill up and we continued to drive on, the mood continued to be a good one. We all laughed together, were silly and just enjoyed being together. Now at home, Lucy is finally enjoying a well-deserved nap and the rest of us had a few things to do. No complaints, and still plugging along with it holding an attitude of mutual understanding that this was just stuff our family needed to do today, and the playing would happen later. Again, more moments of "drinking it in". Now it is quiet as Lucy naps, as dogs settle in to their spots for light sleeping. A fire is crackling in the fireplace and the smell of that burning wood is quite possibly as delicious as the coffee cake baking this morning. It's dark already and I'm quickly thinking that I would like to just curl up with a book. However, there is a little boy waiting out by the fireplace who would really enjoy playing a game of checkers with his mother. I think that's a much better idea for now, after all, it must be one of those things our family needs to do today. Drinking it in. Being grateful for this day God has given me. Time for checkers!