a week in the life: friday ~ a day for daddy

today is day 3 of my 29 gifts commitment.  today i decided the kids and i would make it daddy day.  you know the guy in the wings, the background, always there just not in the spotlight a lot.  we play , we learn, we search for treasure and he goes to work each day knowing we are doing all these things and so happy for that.  he provides us with this freedom we enjoy.  i was a single parent for the first 4 years of taylor's life, i worked a lot.  double shifts, whatever i could.  she was home with my mom so i did have a softer option for her than some single moms do, but still i was not there for her milestones, i was practically a kid myself just trudging through, now a mother.  then i met him and he not only gained a wife but and instant family.  he adopted taylor formerly after we married and is the only father she has ever known.  not many men are up for this task.  i know, i dated them.  lol  so now as a stay at home mom, my time is a gift,  i know this.  do i yearn for some alone time or down time?   ABSOLUTELY.  i am not supermom (far from it) but still i do know my time is a gift and a gift i have because of him and his hard work.  so today we gathered up a few small surprises to take to his office.  some photos of us and a jar of a collection of our treasures from our summer.  some sea glass, a heart rock, a gull feather, and shells.  he was happily surprised by our visit.  he then we went shopping for our dinner we planned out for him.  all his favorite things.  salmon loaf that his nana made for him growing up, and then for dessert a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, his ALL TIME fave.  taylor actually made the cake and kellen helped me frost it later.  the kids also made a joint art project on the dry erase board for him of things they love their daddy for.  i picked what is left of our flowers for our table and arrange some of the kids leaves they have been collecting as a centerpiece along with acorns and chestnuts we have gathered.  it looked really nice.  very simple but nice. it was a nice day spent giving to one who gives us so much.  and it made me wonder why did it take this challenge to make this even occur to me to do this?  sure felt great and i hope to be much better at making it a more regular occurrence for each of us.  we all deserve a special day just because.  those are always the best, not for any occasion,  just because.

 

*** important detail of today i totally left out, the dog ran away!  she has never done this.  but because of that i became lax about keeping an eye on her.  she usually goes out runs around and then comes back up and lies on the deck or barks to come in.  yesterday i let her out about 2:00, taylor gets home from school around 2:10.  i asked her to walk the dog (part of her daily chores) right away since it looked like rain any minute.  then she says " where's bayley?"  what?she is on the deck.  "no she's not mom"  frick!  so taylor an a neighbor friend ran around the block.  i hollered from the deck.  little ones were in for naps so i couldn't leave the house. after about a half hour taylor took one more trip into the woods.  our back yard butts up to a seasonal campground with a lake.  well looks like bayley took herself for a swim,  she was in the woods tearing around like a wild dog and she was wet. so, trauma avoided, she is now home, and now i need to watch her like a hawk OR tie her back on her lead. so a bit of unwanted drama and excitement in our afternoon.  

 

ah and yes a color theme emerged again today.  yesterday's bright blues and oranges replaced with the warm browns, grays and burgundies.