Eckenrode Family

30 Days of Happiness: Playing Hooky From Routine

We ditched the van this afternoon in the driveway and walked to the bus stop where Ben and I boarded the bus and picked Miles up from school. On our way I took notice of the emerging colors of fall.

Miles was more than excited when I told him we were catching the bus home. I got them a cookie before our ride home.

It has been so gloomy around here recently and I think noticing the colors of fall and doing something out of our routine really did a lot to combat the drabness.

30 Days of Happiness: With Our Thoughts We Make the World

We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world. - Buddha

30 Days of Happiness: Baking Bread

There are moments when I’m in the midst of a very ordinary day that I suddenly find myself experiencing pure bliss. I had one of those moments today. They sneak up on me and in that moment I realize I am completely happy and at peace and all seems right with the world. Today I was folding laundry; listening to Ben playing contentedly by himself; looked for Miles and saw him daydreaming and staring at the rain out the window and smelling the cinnamon bread baking in the oven.

I feel, simultaneously, like a character in a movie from the fifties and a product of the women’s revolution. I am fortunate enough to be able to choose to be at home, alongside my children, baking bread and folding laundry. I thank the generation of women that came before me to enable me to have this choice. I had the opportunity to get an education and I use what I learned to make a better life for my family. It really doesn’t get any better than this.

30 Days of Happiness: My Baby

A few weeks before his 3^rd birthday and I am noticing every day the little boy that is emerging from my baby. He still loves his blanket (DeeDee) and his crib. He still loves to be babied by his mama. He still needs me to kiss every bump and scratch and seems to believe in the power of my kiss (“Kiss this mama. It’s better now.”). He still giggles like a baby – where it seems to erupt from his soul. He is still my baby. He will always be my baby; even when he grows too big for my hip; even when he grows taller than me; even when he has children of his own. He’ll be my baby, sleeping peacefully in his crib, with no problems that can’t be cured by his DeeDee and his mama’s kiss.

30 Days of Happiness: Last Day of Summer

I just realized today was the last day of summer after reading Bluebirdbaby. On this last day of summer I:

• Ate dinner with 2 of the most handsome boys on the planet (Tim was out)
• Got rained on as I put the kids in the van. 
• Was stunned by a complete sentence spoken by Ben - new milestone weeks away from his 3^rd birthday. 
• Enjoyed Miles company very much. I am surprised daily by the wonderful soul in this little body. 
• Appreciated the rain as it poured outside my window with a cool autumn breeze. 
• Thought about our possible future move and wondering if it is going to happen. Hoping and dreaming of woods in our backyard and the kids and Scout running through it. 
• Noticed more yellow and red leaves on our street.

• Enjoyed seeing my husband in a suit today and remembered why I’m so lucky.
• Laid in bed with Miles and Ben separately and listened to them talk about their days. 
• Exercised and ate apple crisp with ice cream on top.

30 Days of Happiness: Fall is Coming

We are preparing our house for the market and so this weekend Tim refinished wood floors while I spent a lot of time moving stuff, driving and organizing. The kids spent Saturday with grandparents picking apples and apparently being angels.

In the back is a gnat trap.

On Sunday our first ever hired babysitter was a no-show. Despite being disappointed, they did great keeping each other occupied.

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In spite of swollen and sore knees, Tim whipped up a batch of chili and some apple crisp.

Ben tried on his potential Halloween costume and I think it was a hit.

He thought he was a pretty scary bat.

30 Days of Happiness: The Monster & The Devil

Today I took a monster to preschool (aka Miles). He loves to dress up and anticipate the reaction he’s going to get. Today he said he was going to scare all of the teachers.

Notice his brother in the background with the devil horns? After some of his antics today, these horns make perfect sense. For as sweet as he is, he sure is bullheaded. Wonder where this comes from?

30 Days of Happiness: A Good Spot

A rug for our front door was made using the scraps of Good Folks fabric.   It was so satisfying to swap it out for the old rug that used to be there.
I was surprised by how excited Ben was over the new rug, throwing himself on it. It was actually quite challenging to get a good photo of the rug because every time I focused the camera on it, someone jumped on it.




This bright little rug really brightened my day and breathed fresh life into our front room. The pattern came from Patchwork Style. I often open this book and admire all of the quilts, dreaming that someday I’ll have the patience to actually complete one. In the meantime, however, a patchwork rug was quite satisfying.

30 Days of Happiness: That's the Way That the World Goes Round

Conversation in the van today while driving parallel with a train:

Me (trying to slow down to drive next to it): Why is this train going so slow?

Miles: Maybe it has a heavy load.

Me: Hmm, you’re probably right.

Miles: Why’s it going across that bridge?

Me: So the cars don’t have to stop, also, because that’s where the track goes.

Ben: Why?

Miles (quoting a lyric of John Prine):  Cause that’s the way that the world goes round.

30 Days of Happiness: Home Again

• Fresh haircuts for the boys. Ben kept reminding me all day that he’d gotten his hair cut. Nothing cuter than a little boy with a freshly cut head of hair.
• Ben’s curls were unleashed with the shorter length and boy do I love those curls.
• Watching Miles and Ben dance together in the living room.
• Getting back into our routine at home after a week of vacation. Oh, it feels so good.
• Anticipating Miles first day of preschool tomorrow. He LOVES his school and is SO excited.
• Seeing the boys get excited when Daddy came home. Seeing them all sitting together in a chair, looking at a magazine of costumes and making Halloween plans. Miles decided on Joker and he even has the maniacal laugh down.
• They way a balloon can make a child’s day.