This summer we spent our family vacation at one of our favorite spots, the Oregon Coast.  This will have been our third time here as a family, and we have come to love the Newport area and all of its wonders.  

This was the view from the patio of our condo.  Brooklynn and I had gone outside to enjoy the view, and I realized that it was a perfect picture spot.  Brooklynn took a summer photography class online, and throughout this vacation she was taking pictures and uploading them for her class assignments.  She has a natural talent at photography.  

I like this picture of Brooklynn because I feel like it illustrates so well her inner serenity.  In our home, with a large family, there is a lot of noise and activity all of the time.  Just like the ocean in this picture, the waves seem to continue rolling in...sometimes loudly, and other times more quietly, but always, always moving.  Yet through it all, Brooklynn is my one that has a quiet inner peace about her.  She has a wonderful calming personality and is so easy to be around.  She has a beautiful smile, and quick wit but is just as happy to sit quietly observing and listening to everything going on around her.  I feel very thankful that Heavenly Father sent her to us, I'm thankful for her good example, and for the love and kindness that she freely gives to those around her.   

It's the little things...

Meet Goose.  Goose is the newest addition to our family...Rachel begged Andy for months and he finally relented and let her have a kitten.  We all love him (even Andy secretly loves this little guy...yes, Andy you do...admit it) and he has brought a lot of joy and laughter into our home already.  

Now, Goose.  Meet the washing machine.  

I was doing laundry yesterday morning, and came into the laundry room with another load and found this little guy completely entranced by the spinning load of clothes and the flashing lights of the control panel.  I laughed and walked back out to go get another load and after I came back, sure enough, Goose was still there completely in awe of what was before his eyes.  This just made me giggle, and then full out laugh.  It was so funny to see him so completely engrossed by something that I do and take for granted every day.  

Then, it got me to thinking.  What did I used to be fascinated or in awe of that I now take for granted? 

In reality, this washing machine IS amazing.  It allows me to simply put in a load of clothes, push a few buttons and then walk away...and then about 45 minutes later I come back to clean clothes ready to be dried.  During that 45 minutes I can be working on other projects, reading a book, taking a nap, talking on the phone...or even blogging.  :)   It truly is amazing how much time this washer gifts me every day, and I just take it for granted.  So yesterday I started noticing the little things that are amazing blessings in my life that I just daily pass on by. 

I noticed the beautiful sun in the sky.  It was a beautiful 60 degree November day and because of the sun, I was able to be outside, watching my kids play and enjoying my yard.  I noticed my car.  Holy cow!  Without my car where would I be?  Well, I wouldn't be out getting groceries or running up to the school to drop off something my kids forgot...or any of the other million things that I do every day with the use of my car.

I thought of how the clouds slowly drift by, and how long it has been since I've laid down on my back in the grass to watch them and to find imaginary animals and ships, and cotton candy in their shapes.  I thought of my books, and how their adventures, and dramas line my shelves, awaiting me to open the pages and rejoin them for a few hours.  I thought of my sweet family members, one by one, starting with my husband...and concentrated on picturing their faces in my mind until I could see them clearly.  These amazing, fascinating, truly astounding people that I live with each day...yet some days allow them to walk on by without really noticing them.  And I thought of prayer.  I thought of my Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ, my Savior...and how often I take them for granted.  Prayer is an amazing thing...to think that through prayer we can communicate with our Father, an omniscient and omnipotent being who truly loves and knows each one of us and who listens to us and misses us when we pass on by without using that choice way of communicating to check in. 

All of these thoughts from one silly little kitten named Goose.  And a washing machine...doing what it does...the same mundane task over and over and over again.  So maybe those little things we do every day that sometimes seem mundane and unimportant really aren't all that mundane or unimportant after all. 

Today I spent some time coloring with Emma. Two things that made me giggle. Just like ALL six of her older siblings, she tends to want to color everything a rainbow. I still remember Taylor's rainbow bunny he colored in nursery when he was 3. Also...Emma doesn't know when to quit with her M's.  She'll just keep going up and down until I tell her she's got enough.  She also adds a little q at the end of her name.  

Addy was convinced she had 3 K's in the middle of her name? Lainah added a Q as well, Matthew told people his name was Michael, Brooklynn called Rachel "Toach" for the longest time, Rachel wanted to change her last name to something easy like "Smith", and Taylor had the T-5 complex...for the longest time he skipped them when reciting his ABCs and counting to 10.  To each his own. Love these funny kids and all of their quirks.