Oh happy day.

With thanks to Jamie at Searching for Sidewalks for inspiring me to spend time thinking about 10 things I love about today:

1. I am happy to be home, after two days on the road and one night away from Jack, who is officially old enough to be confused if I don’t show up for dinner.
2. Speaking of official ages: My son is two. Two! But he believes he is six, and that is what he will say – happily –  if you ask.
   
3. I am happy – because when it comes right down to it, that’s the same thing as relieved, right? – that his birthday this year corresponded closely with Easter, which is way more fun than a two-year-old’s birthday party. Especially given a two-year-old that doesn’t know what a birthday is but loves hide-and-seek and eggs. He considers ham such a treat that we skipped cake, and he blew out a baptismal candle on Sunday, so I’m considering that part of the birthday territory covered, too.
4. Oh, the territory covered since this time  last year, his first year, which we celebrated a little more traditionally. This time around, I braced myself all week for the emotional waves that would crash our non-party. And I was overwhelmed again, but more with wonder and enchantment than with wistfulness. My mother and her hesitant wisdom (“Don’t listen to anything your mother says,” for example) stands correct: Every phase is more endearing than the last; he beats his own record nearly every day. At least for now, while he is not 16.
5. I am happy Jack is not yet 16.
6. Yesterday morning, I had 40 minutes to persuade 70 high school juniors to read more thoughtfully and more often. They were attentive and responsive. I’ll be happy about that for weeks.
7. Today Jack has two favorite things: wearing my brother’s old baseball helmet and saying the word “hedgehog.”  Not necessarily at the same time.
8. We’re having windows-down, doors-open warm weather. I love it when room temperature knows no bounds.
9. Leftover Easter candy! I’m happy to have a decent sense of moderation and to have made it through another holiday without introducing Jack to the celebration of chocolate.
10. The dogwoods, daffodils, tulip poplars, wild plums, hellebores, snowdrops, forsythia, flowering quince, hyacinth, muscari and vinca are in bloom, and the wind smells great.

I’d love to read the happy listings of
Mayberry Mom
Amelia at Flux Capacitating
Corinne at Trains, Tutus and Teatime
Trailer Queen at Queen of the Park
and my friend Melissa.

And you: Do you have ten things you’re happy about right now? Tag, you’re it!