Day 6

"Joy is the serious business of heaven." C.S. Lewis


1. I'm grateful for:
    a.  My family at the adoption (Aunt Beth, brother, Lisa, Lisa's family)
    b.  Dancing around Ikea with Aunt Lorri
    c.  Rachel cheering me on like a mad woman during dodge ball

2. Today was a big occasion for our family because my brother, Greg, and his wife, Lisa, officially adopted their little girl, Emma.  All around it was filled with nuggets of happiness that will brighten the darkest of days.  One in particular was when I played with my little nephew, Tristan, while the court proceedings were going on.

So, Tristan was in the court room, running back and forth between the tiny gate that acts as a barrier between the audience and the participants of the court.  My poor brother was trying his darndest to keep him still, but that boy was born with an adventuresome spirit like mine.  So brother first picked him up and handed Tristan to his grandpa.  He, of course, wriggled his way out of that hold, came right back, and brother next handed him to grandma, to which he was better for a bit.  But still the little man is born with Houdini blood, and found his way out of her arms and back across the gate.  The third time brother handed the ninja munchkin to me, to which grandma gave me some solid weaponry.  Fruit snacks.  Glorious fruit snacks.

Oh, how I love thee, dearest fruit snacks.

  I'd usually just give him the pouch, but I knew he'd run right back with it to his dad (my brother).  So I sat there taking the fruit snacks, one by one, and slowly feeding it to him airplane style.  Except the poor pilot of the fruit snack plane unfortunately dabbled with the fermented grapes and kept missing Tristan's mouth.  Tristan would grasp at my arm and try to guide the scrumptious morsel in the right direction, but just as it came in for the landing, I'd shimmy the snack onto his cheek. or nose. or next door neighbor.   Each fruit snack bought me about 15 seconds of him sitting relatively still.  Granted, Tristan is a quick study, for he'd bob and weave to catch 'em.  And, boy, does that little guy have teeth.  Ouch! We made it through two pouches before he had enough of that game, but those few minutes I will forever love.

3. Exercise: dodge ball (I really can't count this one, I'll do better tomorrow)

4.  Meditation before bed tonight

5. Random Act of kindness: brought muffins for brother and family to eat for breakfast, Tristan was the only one who could eat something that sweet so early in the day