{finding the little joys in everyday life}

{pretty}

I feel so blessed that Michael received this rosary as a First Holy Communion gift from his Godparents. It was handmade by Sarah, a.k.a The Clay Rosary Girl, who passed away extremely suddenly back in July.  I didn't follow her blog then but learned of her story afterwards through Ginny who was a dear friend to Sarah's and whose blog I've followed for years.  I feel pretty darn special that we were able to receive one of her beautiful handmade rosaries that was ordered before that tragedy.  It feels like a relic.  Michael, our lover all things colorful, thinks it's the best and brought it to Mass to be blessed last week.  He loves that the symbol on each and every bead carries some meaning.

{happy}

"Mama, the baby's kickin' me!"

This baby's gotten pretty active and I love so much that the older brothers can now feel him or her.  Their faces are priceless when they feel the little bump from their brother or sister.  I love the conversations it's triggered about birth and baby development and my pregnancies with them and their own birth stories.  They each have parts of their birth story that they remember from my telling them that they love to share.  "Remember that as soon as I came out I fell right to sleep on you?"  "I came out super super fast!"  Even Luke knows he was born "under the Christmas tree."  I love talking about that with them and feel so blessed that I am the one who gets to teach them and share it all in this context. 

{funny}

My post from last week on the baby items I never needed triggered a memory of one of the oddest baby gifts we have ever gotten.  I love that the people who gave it to us were being kind and very...creative? They were generous in giving us a gift for our newborn baby.  It was very thoughtful and kind.  However, I'm not sure a skeleton bag with your child's name on it is the best reminder of the gift of new life.  Or maybe it's just me.

I'm pretty sure it was supposed to be like a Halloween trick or treating bag?  (He was born in June.)  But personalized skeleton for the nervous new parents seemed like a...unique choice.  We did keep it until decluttering and a move (and our decision to not really do Halloween much anyway) prompted its donation.  In my defense, it was also shortly after Joseph Mary died and I didn't need yet another reminder of my children's mortality at the moment.

But yes, maybe I should add personalized skeletons to the "probably don't need" baby list but what do I know...there was baby Jesus with that myrrh so maybe it's a must have after all.

{real}

It's couch cleaning day.  Which is not that big of a deal really.  But not something I get excited for.  These little scampery scampertons, however, very much do.  

Amazing how peaceful it all seems when you put it in black and white, right??? ;)

Happy Thursday!  Hope you find a little pretty, happy, funny, and real in your day, too :)

Linking up with Leila and the girls and LMLD.