10 Things

So I got tagged today by my sister to list out ten things that make me happy. I've already made a list of 100 things but to narrow it down to just ten may be harder.
1.) My dad and mom’s love.

He is a hard man. He is quiet and he is generous. He listens well to her when she speaks and he really hears her. He has plans that include her; he speaks often of her accomplishments with as much pride as a heart can hold. He kisses her then pops her butt with a dishrag. He lets her pin him down in the grass until his face turns red, he spoils her, he takes care of her, he loves her.
And she is beautiful. She is kind and she is giving. She can see his moods like it's a flashing neon sign telling her where to walk softly. She can find that itch in the center of his back, she knows how he likes his coffee, and she can whisper in his ear and make him blush. She delights in him, she loves him.
I have a great love now with my husband. If I were to write a book about our love it would be a best seller for sure, but if I were to write a book about my mom and dad’s love, if there were even words worthy enough to give life to that love it would be considered the greatest love story ever told.
2.) My husband.

He’s a man I’ve written about a couple of times on this blog, and if you’ve kept up with me you’d know the struggles I’ve been going through not having him around. I have found it easy to stick to my diet plan since I don’t have much of an appetite since I don’t have a dinner partner, I am more diligent with working out and keeping my house clean because I don’t want to sit still and see that he isn’t there. I’ve been able to see Laine’s expressions change with new things that she learns by being more attentive to her and trying to help her not miss daddy so much.
I miss my husband being home. I hurt in my heart that he isn’t by my side when I go to bed at night. I want to cry over the fact that he is missing so much of Laine's first year, he’s missing her learn new things, he’s missing hearing her say dada when she sees his shirt on the ironing board. He’s missing so much that I can’t stand it.
But when he comes home, and the whole house is filled with his voice and his laughter seems to just float through the hallways and it mixes with Laine’s squealing, that is the sound of heaven. When his shoulder is there to be my pillow at night it brings the most wonderful dreams with it. And when he is there to kiss my neck while I’m making his dinner, I swear, sometimes, it’s a wonder my knees don’t melt.
3.) My son.5 and my daughter.

I know there are people who tell you that their child is a gift; that they are blessed to have their little angel and that no one will ever understand how thankful they are for their babies or how precious that little life is to them, but I could say that yes I do understand. My children are a light in my life. They are what a true gift is. I don’t deserve to have good kids. I don’t deserve to have healthy kids. I don’t deserve perfect, smart, beautiful kids, but that’s what I have. I have a boy that through him I got a second boy. These boys are marvelous. They are breathtakingly wonderful little boys, with blue eyes that never quit shining. They are full of light and warmth and Christmas and cupcakes and cartoons on a Sunday morning, they radiate happiness and pure joy. They are what a gift from God looks like. In the flesh a perfect gift.
And my daughter. My cherub, my pink dirt dauber, my funny little clown. She is what has made my heart whole. She has replaced what I felt for so long was lost with laughter and cheeks. She has taken my life and flipped it upside down and back again and is rearranging my priorities so that I am now a grown woman. I have learned through her things I never though I was capable of doing really aren’t that hard. She talks to angels and I see blessings pour out of her onto me every day.
4.) My person. She and I are Thelma and Louise, we are Meredith and Christina. I’m the Butch to her Sundance. She’s the only one who knows me. Darkly. Really knows me. She’s my person. She’s on my side. If I were to kill someone she’d be the one I’d call to drag it across the living room floor. She’s my other half. She knows my mind and the way it works better than anyone, even Erik. She can read me, she knows what I need to hear and isn’t afraid to tell me even when she’s knows it’s not what I want to hear. My person is my best friend; she’s my confidant and my partner in crime. I love her and I’d rather not waste my time on anyone else. She’s the only friend I need.
5.) My home My home was an anniversary gift to me from my husband. It has a room in it where my husband unpacked every book and trinket and arranged it in a beautiful display. To some it might look like random stacks of books on the floor but I know better. There is a room that has drawings in crayon on the walls that was put together with hands spilling love from their fingers. There is a room where magic happens and babies are made. There is a room where my daughter plays. There is a room where my husband works; there is a room where I make my family's meals. I keep my home. I keep it clean and I keep it warm, I keep it free of bugs and full of light. I love my home, I love that my husband calls it home, I love that my family makes it a home.
6.) A spastic dancing moment to Eye of the Tiger.

Sorry no photo here, I'm usually too busy to bust a flash while I'm busting a move.
There are simple things in life that make me happy. A great song with an excellent beat that calls for you to dance and a little girl with large eyes begging you to spastically gyrate around the furniture narrowly missing alphabet blocks and stacking rings to swoop down and spin her around in time with the beat. And when that song is over, you fall down and roll around on the floor with her as you try to catch your breath. I dare anyone to do just that and not come away from that moment with a top ten memory of all time.
7.) Laine's morning eyes

8.) Coffee
I know it’s kind of weak compared to the other stuff, but I really do love coffee and it really does make me happy. A great steaming cup of coffee with a little raspberry flavor will force the corners of my mouth up, I can’t help it. Great coffee makes me smile.
9.) Working up a sweat.
I love feeling like I’ve accomplished something. When I work out I want to sweat, when I run I want to be out of breath when I do lunges I want my knees to tremble. I like the fact that my body will say “thank you, I needed that.”
10.) Sitting passenger
I love sitting in the passenger seat and just watching the world go by, the longer the drive the better. I love sitting in the middle of the food court in the mall and watching people. Sometimes it makes me happy to make fun of them; sometimes it makes me happy to imagine what their lives are like. I love watching. I love being taken places. Put the two together, I love sitting passenger.