“The purpose of our lives is to be happy.” – The Dalai Lama

What a simple, beautiful quote that fits perfectly with these pictures of my happy children!  As you can see, my son has learned to say “CHEESE,” while wrinkling his nose, and grinning.  He inherited the nose wrinkle from me, after I grew up with my Grandpa telling me to wrinkle my nose.  Seeing his grin brings back happy memories and an appreciation for this adorable stage of his life.

I HAVE been very happy lately.  In addition to helping with small things around the house (dishes for one – see below), my kids will sometimes bring each other their jackets or shoes to help get ready. It is so sweet, and one less thing that I have to do for them is always a bonus. I’ve been realizing that this parenting thing IS getting easier.  That is until something changes, and another parenting challenge is ready to be tackled.

For now, I’ll just be a happy mama.

My little man grinning and wrinkling his nose
My little man grinning and wrinkling his nose
happy doing the dishes
Mama O. with happy helpers in the kitchen. Who knew doing dishes could be so fun?!