Six Happy Things

Someday when I am old, and it is raining, I hope my children will call me up and say, 'Do you remember when you used to take us puddle jumping?' And I'll smile and remember. 

1. We had our first big rainstorm on Saturday, so naturally the girls and I headed out for a 45-minute walk. We splashed in puddles, caught raindrops on our tongues, and chased each other in the mud. We wrapped our morning up with hot showers and mugs of steaming hot cocoa. 
2. Yesterday, I made pear sauce and sweet potato biscuits. They were both delicious. 
3. This upcoming weekend we are going apple picking with good friends. I am insanely excited about seeing them. This also means next week I'll have apple and honey challah bread baking in my oven. Clearly, I am embracing fall. 
4. Daisy and I are currently reading Little House in the Big Woods as our chapter-book read aloud. I forgot how much I loved reading this series when I was a child. I can always tell when Daisy is particularly interested in our chapter book selection because she engages in pretend play. This usually entails some kind of party for 'Laura' (i.e.: Daisy) with 'Pa' (i.e.: me) and the dog (i.e. Lily) singing her Happy Birthday over and over and over....
5. Lily's vocabulary is starting to take off. Her word list includes: cheese, kiss, thank you, momma, music, daddy, book, more, dessert, shoes, please, vroom, ball, play, hot, help and up. This morning she said Grandpa (which, of course, sent my Dad to cloud nine). She pants for a dog, makes a whiny sound for a horse and roars (with the head shake) like a lion. She responds to most of my questions when spoken in English or French. It's astounding to realize all that she understands. I love watching her language acquistion.  
6. My herbs are finally starting to take hold. I have basil, rosemary, sage, mint, oregano and thyme (for pesto, rosemary olive oil bread, butternut squash soup, mojitos, Guiness beef stew and roasted tomatoes respectively). My wildflowers are finally starting to bloom. Seeing this outside my kitchen table makes me insanely happy.