Ten Lights

1. The way Tye says "Mmmmmm" when she squeezes around my neck and presses her cheek against mine in the sweetest hugs I've ever received.  I hope she never outgrows them.


2. The first sip of hot coffee.  Every sip is good, but that first one is goosebump-good.


3. The face of our climbing wall / vacuum cleaner / alarm system.

4.  Watching Tye react to the stuffed animals at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum yesterday.  She clearly thought the cougar was a dog ready and waiting to play with her, so she barked at it and tried to reach through the glass to pet it.  Then she walked up to the polar bear and started laughing and clapping.  Oh, to explore the world with new eyes.


5.  The way Tye's body moves when she walks quickly- to step with her left foot, her right shoulder rises and her left hip lifts, creating an S-curve along her body.  To step with her right, she reverses the process.  She totters around like this all day, using her entire body to urge her feet to move faster.  No wonder she needs naps.

6.  Seeing the bottom of the laundry basket. (Trust me, this doesn't happen often, but it did this week.  Twice.  Alison, aren't you proud?)


7.  Watching Tye put a toy back into the container from which she dumped it.  It reminds me that one day, I will be able to ask her to clean up her own mess.  Maybe she'll even do it.


8. Riding the escalator down from the parking garage into Whole Foods on North Avenue.  The smell of freshly roasted coffee mixes with those of herbaceous fresh flowers and delicate perfumes from the bath salt bar.   Slowly, the colors come into view- first, the rainbow of flowers, then the kaleidoscope of produce, then the rows of luxurious lotions and soaps.  By the time I reach the ground, I'm so intoxicated by it all, the fact that I only needed 3 items is totally forgotten and my wallet opens itself.

photo credit

9.  Reading a great book on the Nook I was given for Christmas while I rock Tye to sleep.  I'm finally reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.  So much better than endless hours of Word Warp.


10.  The roses Tyler sent me for our 7 year anniversary on Monday.