Closing Out the Year

Today was a storybook New Year's Eve Day. The weather was absolutely perfect--clear blue skies in the low 60s.

My husband is on call all weekend, so we needed to make plans without him and accept that if he showed up it would just be a bonus. I decided to let the kids have a mini bucket list of sorts--everyone got to choose an activity for at least an hour. R went first, as our "Leader of the Day."

He was all about a driveway basketball game until Daddy got home and suggested they break in the new set of tools Santa had brought my R.

He was elated as he proudly joined his Daddy in building a ladder to reach the loft of our storage shed. R was beaming as my husband suggested they sign and date the ladder so they'd always remember the day they built it.

Because their project took longer than the hour R had been assigned, K asked for her time to be spent on a long bike ride alone with me. She & I spent two glorious hours riding our bikes along our town's riverfront, to the park, to Starbucks and back home. The weather was amazing, but knowing that I was spending quality one on one time with my girl--conversation flowing freely--getting to enter her world on her terms--what a blessing!

P joined us for basketball, but spent much of the afternoon doing his favorite thing--reading. For his hour, he requested chess (a new hobby since a Christmas gift of a Mario Chess set.)

As we closed out the day I rejoiced that it was in a way that was such a sweet slice of our current life. We were at home--with those we love, doing things we enjoy. There were no grand gestures. It was simply a representation of quality family time. And one of my favorite quotes came to mind:

"The way we spend our days, of course, is the way we spend our lives." - Annie Dillard

And this, it seems is my wish for 2012...to be intentional about these moments and days that ultimately end up being my life, my marriage, my children's childhood, my testimony, my legacy, my stewardship of the life God has given me.

It is worth noting that as I was 3/4 of the way through this post I heard whining from upstairs and went up to check. One of my people had vomited everywhere. Even after a Rockwellish day...it's still real life.

Happy 2012!