Home, Hats, and a Thankful Heart

It happened too fast.  I was busy running from one room to the next, when I happened to catch a glimple of Grace with all three wide-brimmed hats in her possession.  She had one on her head, and one in both hands.  She was vainly trying to get the others on her head as well.  I love it when she is so absorbed in her play that she is completely unaware of my presence.  This was one of those moments. I turned to grab my camera, which is usually pretty close, and by the the time I had it on, the moment had passed.  She was turning to me, trying to get me to help her. I hate that, and it happens everyday, often more than once. 

I snap my fingers in disappointment, but then I remember... I remember that I was here to enjoy that moment.  That moment that won't likely repeat itself twice, but I was able to be there.  If I were working outside the home, I would have missed it.  Someone else would have cracked up at her antics, and had that moment to recall someday.  They would not have appreciated it like I would have, though.  They wouldn't have written it down in their beautifully detailed and updated baby book wall calendar like I did.  It just would have been a lighthearted occasion in the day, possibly remembered long enough to repeat to me as I picked her up after work.

So today I am thankful.  Thankful that I am privileged to stay at home, to work here and make a beautiful place to live.  I say beautiful, not because it is always aesthetically attractive, but beautiful because it is here that we laugh, love, cry, learn, rest, and get away to delight in each other as a family.  Last night I ran to the store for a bit, and came home to unbridled baby giggles, as daddy made and flew a paper airplane for my naked-but-for-a-diaper baby.  (Yes, I know she's 14 months, but she's still my baby.)  I treasure that memory.  They were relishing each other's presence, bonding with a silly piece of paper that took a nose dive the second it left daddy's fingers.  I am also thankful for my hard-working husband, who leaves the home each day to make a living and provide for us, his little tribe.  I am thankful for each day that I wake up, smiling because my husband sets three alarms that scare me to death, but barely bring him back to the land of the living.  I am thankful for the anticipation that I feel while I wait for the first sound of rustling and baby talk that tell me my little stinker has greeted another day.  I am thankful for the outstretched arms and unintelligible chatter that I am met with when I go in to retrieve her.  I am thankful for the "Ame(n)!" that I hear 2 or 3 times before we finish praying for our food.  I am thankful for these moments and these memories.  Thank you, Lord.

This black hat is Ben's cowboy costume accessory that was pulled out for Hayride Sunday on the church bus.  I think it might have had a previous life as adornment to Festus Haggen on Gunsmoke. It hasn't been put away yet, so Grace has been accessorizing.  I'm not sure if she's decided on the perfect outfit yet.

The straw hat was daddy's find at Michael's a few months ago.  He found it for a $1 and said we needed to get it.  It didn't get much use until the last few weeks.  I think Grace is finally realizing that no girl is complete without a few accessories.  I personally think this is the perfect outfit.  Straw hat and bandanna print jumper - Perfect!

A sampling of her new looks....

This post is linked to Finer Things Friday and Fight the Frump Friday!