happy

i've been thinking long and hard all weekend what to title this post. i thought i had it friday night, then saturday came, adding something different to our weekend, and the title changed. and finally, tonight, i came to the conclusion that this weekend just made me {happy}. in a comfortable place and enjoying life. just happy.

it started with an impromptu bbq with friends (and neighbors) friday night, which kept the kids up late with a fire in the fireside pit and roasted marshmallows. we're just so lucky to have such wonderful friends that live 3 houses down.

harper loves mr. chad

the return of this beer marks summer, and makes my husband a very happy guy.

and to see harper and hunter together is just adorable.

hunter fits right into our family.

saturday, i got motivated to clean house. literally. i put harper down for her nap and got on my hands and knees to scrub the floors. laundry was washed and folded. floors were vacuumed and mopped. dishes were cleaned and put away. dust bunnies were banished. puzzle pieces that have been missing since last june were found! candles were lit and i could finally relax in my peaceful, clean surroundings. it's amazing how a clean house can lift your mood. i let it go just to make sure i enjoy what's truly important and spend time with harper, but sometimes, enough is enough. i love a clean house.

and i also love walking in the rain with my girl. she's smart enough to know how important daily fresh air is, despite the constant rain this weekend. so we donned our boots (have to get her some wellies and a pint-sized umbrella) and walked in the rain. clean and refreshing. (except that my camera was in the wrong setting, so i got zero good pictures of her.)

i ended saturday night at borders picking up some new books of interest with my brother-in-law's friends and family discount. a knitting how-to book. a manual about my digital slr camera. a new cookbook from cooking light with only 5 ingredients in every recipe (my kind of cooking!). an interesting read about nutritionally deficit disordered children (thank you, christina). and a new bedtime story for harper. books (and discounts) make me happy.

sunday morning brought an early trip to the airport for michael (4:45 am!), as he took his brother and girlfriend to catch their flight to florida for a 7-day cruise. he made it back before 6 am, and since no one was up, he decided to go back to bed. he still wasn't up by the time harper and i awoke, so i stole her away for a mommy-daughter early bagel breakfast to allow him some quiet sleep. we rolled in our pajamas, hair undone and relished in a blueberry bagel with strawberry yogurt cream cheese and milk for her/coffee for me. and i just stared at her, so thankful that we have these times to be together. thankful that she's mine. amazed that she's 21 months of amazing little girl who i can pretty much have a full-on conversation with. absolute happiness.

i love seeing this happiness in my rearview mirror.

and later, a brunch with some new friends. delicious food (sausage and leek casserole, fruit salad, and dark chocolate raspberry muffins), fabulous company and a charming old home in a quaint little suburb. thank you, peri and matt!

a few rough points, most specifically a no-nap sunday and crankiness ensuing full throttle at harper's bedtime, another busted lip in the exact same spot as last weekend (she's still beautiful), and a long, cathartic run that had me weeping tears on the treadmill, literally.

but overall, a belly-full-of-your-favorite-comfort-food-while-doing-whatever-you-love-best kind of happiness of a weekend. hope yours was happy, too.