6 November

I kind of love this day, the first day of the return to Standard Time. My kids all fall asleep an hour earlier ... it's like a magic reset button!

Today was such a great day of (mostly) peace in our little family; days like this make all the hard ones so worth it. 

Not a single photo was taken today. I'm so good with that, too. Some days are meant just for living, right there in the moment.

We realized today that one year ago on this Sunday (the date was one day off, but it was the first Sunday in November), we left for our little trip to the ocean. This photo is from the airport that day. During this time of stress and strain, scrimping and sacrificing, the memories of that trip are warming all of our hearts. (And how tiny Fiona was! That funny, fuzzy hair!) It's not likely that we'll make another similar sojourn for a while (but, oh, how I've been daydreaming of an even bigger journey -- to London! -- tonight. Always in the late autumn and into Christmastime, I find myself dreaming of London!), and that very rare sweetness gives me even more gratitude for that trip last fall. Someday, someday, we will be able to travel someplace exciting again. But, oh, how happy I am that we've done it once.

So grateful am I for the days that have passed, and for the days that are now. Truly, truly.

PS: Yes, I had posts here while we were away! I had pre-written them! Isn't that tricky of me?