Average

It's a typical day in the neighborhood.  A delicious, plain Jane,  our favorite under $15 bottle of wine, Caesar salad from a bag, TV watching, video game playing in the neighborhood day.  And ooooooooooooooh does it feel good.  There is nothing going on.  Allow me to repeat that...there is NOTHING going on.  Nothing but easy homework, kids chores done, open windows (in November) and a serious game of paddle pushers.  This...is the good stuff.  As much as I love our exotic travels to South Dakota (yes, you saw that right..."Exotic" & "South Dakota" in the same sentence) I have mucho amore for the "nothing" of everyday life.


Tonight, after a long day of what can only be described as torture for a type "A" person like myself, is just what the doctor ordered. What did did the Dr. order?  Problems I can solve, like 5th grade grammar and a teething toddler.  No 8th grade math homework, just planning for our field trip tomorrow.  And a husband who's only beef is that he wants me to slow down and sit on his lap to eat dinner.  These are problems/issues that I can tackle...I got this:)  


The first to get knocked off the list?  Dinner on my husbands lap, while he works and I finally get the opportunity to rant about the weekend.

Brandon = "geek sheek"
This is my view...skulls, monkeys, water bottles, wine glass, binary clock, uber cool animation software thingy...stuff.

The view from my desk is not as "cool", but I have her....thank you Ave Maria:)

Baby boy played with baby Cal...

Someone...anyone... give this photo a caption...

Baby chucks are almost as awesome as baby toes

When I got home Sunday, my dinning room table was full of gifts.  Brandon's mom had sent a backlog of presents with his brother.  Anniversary and my birthday.  After 5 hours of travel with a sick baby I was in no mood to open and really see/feel gifts.  I made the wise decision to wait until I was less distracted, until I could appreciate the sentiment behind the gifts.  Boy am I smart.  Finally...tonight... after a quick clean up of the family room I was ready to drink my wine and open gifts.  What can I say? I'm a little OCD, I can't open gifts in a messy room on a rug full of dog hair.  Another blog for another time perhaps.  What I do know...is that I'm a lucky girl:)

Leather in the frame:)  And if you look closely ...dog hair in the rug><

It was our 3rd anniversary this year...leather and crystal.  Never one to miss a single detail, Brandon's mom once again nailed it.  Leather in the chalkboard frame & a crystal wine stopper.  I was all geared up to take a photo of the amazing crystal wine stopper, but Liam had other plans for it:(  It can be fixed, I swear.


But the piste de resistance...less than a month after I acquired my first ever Redwing Stoneware crock...this adorable little tidbit of a crock...(Webser, SD Pumpkin Festival treasure)...

She gives me this for my birthday...with this beautiful note:  "Ericka, This crock was given to me by my mother-in-law and I want to pass it down to you.   Maybe someday you will enjoy passing it down to your daughter-in-law.   I love you dearly, Mom Schapekahm"

I'm sure someday I will enjoy passing it down.  But for now, I'm going to enjoy having it:)  And now that I have the Lumowitz, I can appreciate what kind of woman it will take to get him...and this crock... away from me.  You can tear my son and my crock from my cold dead hands.  That sounds about right. 


And that my friends...is a wonderfully typical night in my life.


The girls playing "paddle pushers" during a Law & Order SVU marathon Tuesday.  

My devastatingly yummy husband reading books to our Lumski.

And me...content in my own little corner of our office, with my babies and husband behind me filling my night with the most joyful ordinary sounds of life.  Ahhhh.