he passed! (or what happens when your toddler wakes up happy)

at 8:30 this morning i couldn't believe how great the day was going. yes, i only slept four hours last night (not consecutively) and upon waking i was determined to be cranky and misunderstood (its not only two year olds who throw tantrums). but what happened next jolted me out of my funk. luca woke up and was in a good mood. good doesn't do it justice - he was gleeful. i pulled out his clothes and he exclaimed happily, "guca get dressed!" now this is the child who often yells in reply to this same action, " no get dressed!" and starts running out of the room. i wasn't completely convinced to give up my grouchiness just yet. but things kept going well - all of the morning routine went smoothly - breakfast, diaper changes, clean-up, and getting in the car to go to the chiropractor. i was driving to this appointment at 8:30 when i realized how shocked i was by this lack of difficulty.

things continued along this surprising trend for most of the day. i won't pretend luca didn't occasionally back talk or disobey - but i was patient and gracious. it was so refreshing. what brought this change? i think God softened my heart this morning when i saw the joy in luca's face - a reflection of Him and what He has to offer me. God doesn't require me to enjoy my lack of sleep or pain felt throughout my body. but He does desire for me to seek Him regardless of the day (or night in this case) that i have had. i think this is an awesome example of how God uses our children to disciple and teach us. i am constantly being stretched in new ways. if i have grown this much in only two years - how much more when my children are teenagers (which i am told is way more trying than infancy and toddlerhood)?

even though gia wouldn't take a nap, she was content to squirm around the living room while i rested and luca napped. and when we were all up and about, what could happen to make the day even more satisfying? the mail came bringing jesse's professional engineer licencing exam results. i had a good feeling about it (even though i couldn't read through the envelope when holding it up to the sunlight). i decided to get the three of us ready to take jesse out to a surprise (celebration, hopefully) dinner. well, he passed folks, and we ate a yummy meal at famous daves (a fantastic bbq joint). this day felt blessed - not perfect - but God showed mercy to and had favor for me.

here is our family pic in front of the pig.



post script: to sweeten the deal, we discovered when we arrived that it was kid's eat for a dollar night at the restaurant. since when did a day go this well?

p.p.s.: i just want to say congrats to my husband - who studied so hard and so long for this test, not to mention working hard in his field for the past 7 years. we sacrificed a lot this past spring while he reviewed a duffel bag full of textbooks and notes. he was not feeling very confident and thought he would need to retake it this fall. i was impressed with his dedication and am proud of his accomplishment.