#50 Watching Veggie Tales with Sydney in her bed before she goes to sleep at night.

The last few nights it's been King George and the Ducky, which is a veiled (very veiled) retelling of the David and Bathsheba story aimed at talking about the consequences of selfishness. The whole thing is morally relevant and good - but if I am being totally honest today I am the most grateful for the silly grammar puns that Syd's memorized and we exchange back and forth. She plays Larry (King George) and I play Bob the Tomato (Louis).

Me: Did you just say more wronger?

Syd: (quietly) Yes

Me: It's more wrong, not more wronger.

Syd: (irritated) It had to rhyme! Don't question a kings grammar! (angrily demanding) Now go and get THAT DUCK!

And then we laugh... and do it again and again. Until I realize we'll be up until 11 at this rate and she (and I - let's be honest) needs a good nights sleep. Hmmm...

#51 My husband sent me this text message yesterday spontaneously:
"Have an amazing day!!!!!! I love you so much! I am so happy... you make me happy. "

I don't include this to engender jealousy or to give the false impression that my marriage is perfect, easy, or entirely happy - quite the contrary actually. I post this because my marriage has been scary, and hard, and pulled out every vile jealous controlling fleshly piece of me and some of the less than attractive elements of my husband and yet - here we are. Still together. Still capable of making each other happy. I am so blessed.

#52 That my brother Anthony is coming to visit in March.

Talk about another story of redemption. I haven't posted much on my brother because I always feel like I have to go on a diatribe to explain how I am both an only child and have a brother. The nitty gritty is that my Mom and Dad were high school sweethearts who got pregnant early senior year. Mom was sent away to a home for unwed mothers (as was the custom for good Catholic girls - or bad one's I guess, ugh) and my brother was born and placed for adoption. We reconnected when I was 18 and I found out genetics does have something to do with personality, because I met a man very much like myself.

Outside of the obvious, my relationship with him and his wife (Dyana - isn't that a beautiful name, I am such a sucker for "y"s) is a picture of redemption for a whole lot of other reasons too. Basically, things have not always been simple or painless in our relationships with one another but I really love them.

Anyway, they are coming! And they are bringing my adult nephew (Alex) and my munchkin niece (Madelyn) with them! Yay!