We have so many harried days, and we almost never pause to consider the simple little moments in a day of otherwise, unremarkable events.

Today, I was thankful for these few lovely, blessed moments:

A no-rush morning: Our preschool was closed today, so we were in no rush to leave the house. I had a morning work obligation, and my husband planned to stay home with the girls and host a visit with my out-of-town in-laws. In no-rush mode, morning snuggles are abundant.

Impotent rain clouds rolled over our heads this afternoon as we played family on the lawn. My daughters actually cast me in their game of family as the kid–the starring role. Even better though, in this game of family, there were two mommies. My main job was to “nap” on the lawn and to feign sadness because my mommies were both leaving on business trips. My girls have fantasized the ultimate game of family: the lesbian power couple. No big deal.

Someone else made me dinner. A local restaurant does a family-style dinner several nights of the week and we had been hoping to try the Wednesday fried chicken. I love feeding my family and I love fried chicken, but I also love to eat my favorite foods when I don’t actually cook them.The girls were slightly monstrous as they waited for dinner, but the fried chicken quieted our whole crew. [Bonus: We saw a dear old neighbor of ours at the bar.]

Nailed the parallel parking spot on the first try. My husband maintains that with nearly 20 years of driving experience, a successful parallel parking job is not cause for celebration. I still feel like this is an “enough said” moment.

I watched my children eat lollipops. When is the last time you had a lollipop? My girls can’t get enough of those little Dum-Dum lollipops and I can’t get enough of watching them. Serious joy.

Bed time.