...new baby chickens

I have always wanted to live on a farm with a cow, chickens, ducks, a garden, a clothesline, a dog and a plethora of children running around. My dreams haven't come to fruition like I planned, but I do have 2 dogs and a garden (somewhat), and yesterday I was able to add to that with three little baby chickens! They are so cute! My brother and I hold them all the time. Today we had a little photo shoot and I took a nap with two of them. They are three little balls of fluffy happiness!

Happiness is....two kinds of ice cream

"...two kinds of ice cream." It's from the musical Your a Good Man Charlie Brown. That particular song goes through my head a lot. There is so much beauty and joy in this world! So much to be happy about! Here are a list of a few things:

• Daffodils, tulips and other spring flowers peeking through the frozen earth after a long, cold winter. Nearly every day I check for this miracle, and was rewarded a couple days ago! It completely amazes me how these beautiful plants can gather strength through the winter when everything seems dead and then push through the frozen ground, sometimes even despite the snow that may still be there. 
• Spring. It is just an invigorating time of year full of hope. After months of cold and snow, signs of new life is everywhere! Trees begin to bloom again, birds return from the "south," grass (albeit somewhat brown) is more plentiful than the snow. There are baby calves, lambs and birds. Really the word to describe it best is "hope." Everything about spring brings joy!
• Baby giggles. Now that is pure happiness. There are no inhibitions for babies when they are delighted by something. And they are delighted by the smallest things. They don't care if the economy is bad. They don't care if there is a storm blowing outside. They don't care if their favorite blankie is lost. They live in the moment and that moment is joyous! And they show that joy by giggling and laughing as if it was the best thing in the world. We should all live so innocently, at least when we find joy in something. 
• Witnessing a child learn something new. Whether you have a hand in the understanding or if they discovered it on their own, it is very exciting to watch! It can be something as small as a baby stretching to get a toy just out of reach. The growth and development is almost tangible. And I feel so blessed to be able to have a hand in helping kids discover new ideas and concepts. And I get to do that all the time in a school setting, at church and at home with my nieces and nephews. How great is that?
• Ducklings - it doesn't get much cuter than that! 

I could go on and on, but I don't want to waste this beautiful day writing about things that bring me joy instead of actually enjoying them!