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Tommy and I loaded the sleeping football fans into the van.  Funny.  We arrived with a six year old and left with a seven year old.

The next morning Daddy went to Wall’s bakery to obtain the chocolate eclairs the dude wanted for his birthday breakfast, we all enjoyed the oh so rich treat, then started on an adventure down town.

It was a beautiful morning- high, clear skies with a few whispy, soft white, clouds dancing up high as if enticing the sun’s rays to come and play.   Our drive into the city was calm since everyone was already tucked away into their offices or going to their next meeting on foot.  The refreshing breeze that accompanied us on the drive in stayed with us as we fed the parking meeter and made our way- hand in hand into the Air and Space Museum.

The atmosphere inside was night and day from the peaceful one we had left on the shaded concrete steps.   Perhaps the angry security guard swayed my view.  You see, apparently leaving 5 pairs of scrapbooking scissors in your diaper bag isn’t a good idea. Those guards don’t take kindly to the thought of being scalloped, zig-zagged, or cropped in any manner. Who knew? 

After the offending scissors were removed from the bag, the guard admited that they looked bigger on the x-ray screen than they actually were and allowed us to enter the museum.  Just think of the headlines.  Family Of Seven arrested at Air and Space Museum.  Seven week old infant biggest offender.  All involved charged with concealed crafting.

Finally we were able to take in all of the aircrafts surrounding us.

There was an example of a pilot’s uniform.  The display used a manequin with a clear head.  In Katherine’s mind, any body with an invisible head is a bad guy.  Which she proceeded to inform us repeatedly that there was a bad guy.

Every time she insisted that he was a bad guy, we insisted that he was a pilot.  Then, when I asked her to tell the camera that he was a bad guy, she promptly smiled and said, “Good guy.”

The childrens’ favorite part was the hands on room.

Even though Jonathan was asleep, we wanted to make sure we got a picture of his firt time down town.  Please ignore the walrus holding him.

Do you see the pained expression on sweet Emily’s face?

Do you also see that she is wearing cowboy boots?  Well.  We were packing the van and she confided in Ian that she couldn’t find her shoes.   Always the loving brother, not to mention anxious to get going, he went upstairs and retrieved his old cowboy boots … from two years ago so she could borrow them.  Fabulous plan, yes?

Well, they rubbed those tiny ankles raw. 

Finally, she wasn’t able to take them any longer and decided that barefoot was the way to go.  However, I wouldn’t think it the wisest decision to walk barefoot on the National Mall.

Daddy was sweet enough to carry her to the car so I could convince Katherine that while the squirrel running around our feet may have looked cute, he wouldn’t have made a good pet.  Not to mention the ninja squirrel that protects our oak tree would have been a tad bit jealous.

Traffic wasn’t too bad and in no time we were home enjoying the spaghetti and meatballs that the birthday boy requested.  He had already had his birthday cake at the party he and Daddy shared, but I couldn’t help but want to see him blow out some candles on his actual birthday.

With a little help from his littlest sister he was able to blow them all out.

Then, we all. went. to. bed.

About half way through sweet Emily said, “Me wishes me were a Mommy.”

Through the Niagra Falls imitation wreaking havoc on my eyes I tried to glance and smile at her before saying, “Aw, maybe one day God will make you a Mommy.”

“Nooooo!  Me wishes me were a Mommy RIGHT NOW so I could cut your onion up for you.”

I was cuddling with precious two day old Jonathan and his doting, sweet, adorable two year old sister when he let out a tiny, yet fierce, sneeze.  This sneeze controlled his whole little body, causing him to punch himself in his beautiful, previously calm and restful face … with both bunched up itty bitty fists. 

Katherine looked at me with her sparkling blue eyes open wide and a mouth shaped in an O.  (Which, I have to admit, prompted me to wonder if perhaps I have allowed them to watch too many Shirley Temple movies lately.)

I laughed and said, “He sneezed!”  as I nuzzled his soft neck and held him close to me in an attempt to comfort him back to sleep. 

I was enjoying that one of a kind, irresistible newborn smell when Katherine shook her head, causing wisps of blonde cotton candy hair to fly back and forth before landing in her smiley squenched up eyes.  “Nuh-uh, Momma!  He bless youed.”

I choose, to choose joy.  There are always things in this sin fallen world that could bring us down.  There are disappointments, failings, and sadnesses that abound.  Tucked very quietly in those dissappointments JOY is hidden for you to find.  It is there for you to choose, if you so choose, to choose joy.  A tiny smirk that will flame to a full belly laugh with just the right amount of attention.

Psalm 16:11
Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

I’m not talking making lemonade with lemons.  No, don’t change a thing.  No adding sugar …  just looking.  Looking for the joy in the sadness.

A raindrop that can be felt on the nose of a toddler as she spins in the glorious rain.

A chance to hold hands and slosh in puddles.

Listening for that sizzling sound as fat raindrops assault the hot grill.

Taking time to stop and smell the … chicken?

A smile on the man’s face that holds the key to your heart.

I choose joy.

My recipes are all stored on the computer.  I don’t bother turning a radio on, I can pick my own songs on the computer, my phone list is on the computer … many times a day I come to the computer to retrieve information.  What’s wrong with this?

I just feel like my children see this machine attached to me way too often.  So, starting tonight, I am compiling my favorite recipes and making a real, actual, physical to touch cook book.  I am going to actually use a real address and phone book.  Sure, I’ll back it up on the computer, but I won’t have to access it through out the day.

All of my research, emailing, online shopping, etc will be done when my sweet precious children are in bed.  They will no longer see this machine as a mere extension of me.

Lunch-  My Tommy kicked me out of the house to go on a hunt for a dress to wear to my baby brother’s upcoming wedding.  I left the house leaving instructions with the kiddos to pull out left over chicken, cucumber slices, and pretzels.  Somehow the cucumbers were forgotten … I wonder if they forgot to eat them or just take a picture of them?

I was completely unsuccessful during my hunt for a dress to wear to the wedding.  The only thing I came back with was a sinus headache that was attempting to squeeze my eyeballs out.  My sweet Tommy recognized this and told me not to cook dinner and dissappeared.  He came back with Boston Market.  I’m pretty certain that the fact that he forgot to finish assembling the grill that was supposed to cook our dinner played no role in his choice to go get take out.

The idea was so fun to us that we did it for a week and put it on our first ever blog.   I’ve been toying with the idea of doing it again.  Miss Katherine wasn’t born yet and Miss Emily was too little to really get in on the fun.  I know that they would both enjoy this little project … sooooooooo, instead of posting this week’s menu, we’ll just take pictures of it as we go!