one of those days

Yesterday was just one of those days. I felt like that poor little Alexander from the book {Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day}.
For starters, I was having a harried morning {aren't they all on these school days?} and chopped off my bangs on a whim. They were a mess. I made an unplanned stop at the Hair Cuttery to have them fixed for $5. But they're still jagged and "severe" as the stylist said. 

Then a certain dog decided it would be a good idea to roll in poop.
Twice. And this is the day after he ate a small nylon sock/footie. He was really zero for two yesterday.

Two baths and four towels later. He was fresh and clean again.

Henry and Patrick were off to flag football practice, so William and I rode our bikes to the park where I taught him to ride in "figure-eights" until I was dizzy. Then we played tag and raced down the slide. That nearly made up for the rest of the day, until I fell off my bike pedaling down Oakland Avenue on the sidewalk at rush hour. 

 When we came home from the park, I gave William the bubbles I found on clearance for 30 cents at the grocery store that morning {always find the silver lining!}. He blew bubbles and Howard chased them, snapping them out of the air and trying to chew them up. We laughed and kept blowing and it felt so good to let go of the rest of the day.

I definitely don't have the hang of our new schedule, or even being back in a routine. I've struggled a lot these past few weeks to keep up with things and I don't like the feeling of just barely keeping up and being swept along by a rushing current. In the midst of the busyness I've been trying to grab my camera and even spend a few minutes sitting down here at my desk. It helps me to reflect on all of the good {and not so great} stuff that's happening everyday. It helps me to feel like I'm riding in the current and not just being carried away. It helps me to slow down and recognize what's most important. Not the laundry {that will never, ever be caught up here at this house again}, the bangs {as severe as they may be}, or even oneself's pride {ahem}. But my family. My two sweet boys that I want to send to bed each night feeling loved and important. The people around us, our neighbors and friends.

 And, a clean dog.