Today was beautiful! As my dad and my husband both had today off, we had plans to meet in Dalmeny for breakfast and then go play in the city a little bit, just for fun. Dekker, however, slept until we finally woke him around 11:15am! So we fed him, watched a few songs on youtube while Brady packed the car… and went to Dalmeny for lunch instead. From there, Dekker and my dad both needed a nap so we played some Skip-Bo to pass the time. After about 1.5 hours we decided we were letting the day get away so we woke the boys headed out to Pure Frozen Yogurt. My parents had never been, and luckily it was pretty empty so they got to peruse everything before they starting creating their fro-yo masterpieces! For those who don’t know what Pure is, its a “frozen yogurt bar.” So there are 8 kinds of yogurt that can be chosen separately or swirled with each other. Next in line is a large variety of sliced up fruit, everything from chunked mango to raspberries to strange “juice poppers” that kind of just dissolve. From there are the crunchy, sweet toppings like crushed up chocolate bars, cereal, whatever your heart desires. Top off your creation with chocolate, caramel, honey, strawberry sauce, maple syrup, or multicolored sugar, and you’re done! The treat is measured by weight, you pay, don’t forget to get your card stamped!, and you’re good to go! But watch out you don’t get carried away because they always come out to cost more than you expect. Quote of the day, you ask? “These get really big really fast!” That’s what she said.

We had plans to take our yogurts and walk by the river but it was so hot outside and we knew they would all be melted during the short car ride. So we pulled a few blankets out of the car and settled in the only shady area that was nearby; between two signs right by the road. Surprisingly, it wasn’t that loud or hot, and the breeze kept the mosquitos away for the most part. It was wonderful and yielded some awesome pictures. Mr. Dekker got a few mosquito bites on his head but didn’t let it get in the way of his playtime out in the fresh air.

Sometimes its good to lay out a blanket and just stop to smell the yogurt.

I went through a time several years ago where I could never find anything positive in any given situation. I would be questioned on how my day was and all I could come up with was the negative. I don’t remember what nudged me towards writing in a journal but I started nonetheless and it was the best thing I could have done. I decided that nothing negative would be recorded in my journals, and stuck firmly to it. Of course there were times I would go several weeks without an entry due to a loss of a family member, fight with a friend, or messy breakup with a boyfriend (since those seem extra traumatic in high school.) But I would come back full force and not even always address it. I’ve reread a few entries here and there over the years and its nice to see that there were some really fun times in my life, amongst the messy times that we all have.

What made me think back to those journals this evening was my son. He’s developing his own personality and its amazing to watch! Of course he’s been quite an individual since he was born, but he’s becoming much more aware of everything. If we take something from him that he’s not supposed to play with, he’ll cry. Up until not long ago, he would just pat the floor and giggle and get on with life. Also, he doesn’t spend every moment of the day gleeful. Not that he’s sad constantly, but he now has a serious, concentrating face, which I actually find beautiful. Just look at him! He’s such little boy, he’s outgrowing babyness.

Even though my son is getting more serious and tough, he still can find joy in just about anything. Things that make him smile no matter what are as follows: sneezing, wind in his face, any song sang in “doo’s,” the beeping sound that comes with dialing on the phone, cameras, yogurt, and many more. He welcomes new things and seems so thankful for almost every experience. I think there is something to that. He finds such joy in little things and then when he’s unhappy, he just gets past it. No grudges, no bitterness, no fear. 

We are God’s children. I’ve always taken that to mean that we will make mistakes, and our Heavenly Father will forgive us and love us unconditionally as parents should. While I believe this is true, I think we can be like children in others ways too. Why can’t we take the tough challenges as just that? Tough challenges! Or messy situations as just messy situations? Couldn’t we be stuck at the side of the road with a flat tire and just pause to smell the air? I don’t know when in life we lose that contentedness, but I think it happens sometimes. I pray that Dekker can keep the simple joy he has now as he sits on the floor clapping away, totally happy with himself, completely forgetting about his rough night last night. He didn’t let that ruin his day like I almost did. I can learn a lot from him.

I’ve decided to be more like Dekker, because he seems to have a better take on what being God’s child is supposed to be like. Also, I’ve decided I love sneezing too. Achoo!