Family Day

Today was a very quiet but fun day. Other than Ben, none of us left the house, and Molly and I even managed to spend the entire day in our pajamas :) But we made the most of our quiet day, something that as time goes on will become more and more of a rarity. I did some organizing and cleaning in our study. Ben went on a 15-mile run prepping for his marathon in March, and even though he was exhausted from all that he went outside with the girls for a few hours so they could take advantage of a strangely mild and beautiful January day. Molly provided this afternoon's entertainment by putting Ava's jacket over her head and trying to walk around, which resulted in many drunken-sailoresque plops on the floor. After dinner we pulled out the Twister game and played a few exciting rounds. (To be honest, I'm not sure any of us remembered the rules, but that didn't keep us from having a great time.) After bath Ava squeezed in one last game of Wii bowling with her Daddy before bedtime. It was just a nice day - one where I got to spend time with my husband and each of my daughters and relish in just how amazing each one is. I am so beyond lucky it's ridiculous, and I will be forever grateful for blessings like them and days like this.

Molly wearing Ava's hoodie

Ava playing Twister after the rest of us got tired

A small glimpse into Molly's antics

I also want to take just a moment to remember the seven Challenger astronauts lost on this day 26 years ago. I lived in Titusville, FL at the time, and can actually remember looking outside my parents' bedroom window and seeing all the smoke from the explosion. I wasn't even 3 years old yet, and surely did not understand the gravity of what was happening, but I knew it must be something pretty big if my mom was sad enough to cry about it. The space program and NASA were a part of my everyday life growing up, and on days like this I think about how blessed I was to get to experience so many launchings and landings of a program that sadly no longer exists. Those astronauts lost on this day, and all those who came before and after them, had a great impact in my life and hold a special place in my heart.