~Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life with Like Mother, Like Daughter~

{Pretty}

Katie is now aware of the camera when it’s out and, like most people her age, her behavior changes when she knows its being recorded. As a result, I’m not taking as many pictures of her these days. Late last week, however, she wore a dress given to her by my sister, and she was eager to take a picture to show it off. I adore this shot of her – the light in her eyes, the tilt of her head, the bona fide, natural grin – which came at the end of a series of cheesy smiles and silly faces.

{Happy}

Is it cheating for my garden to feature so prominently in my pretty and/or happy photos these days? I love being able to grow delicious veggies and herbs in my backyard and, while I certainly don’t grow near enough to feed our family (just tomatoes, green beans and basil), it’s such fun to watch Katie learn and grow and “help.”

Also making me happy this time of year? Our local farmers’ markets and vegetable stands. The heat this year, especially, is no friend to my seven-month pregnant self, but I have bought fresh strawberries and peaches and nectarines two or three times a week, and that helps ease the pain a bit. Add tomatoes and green beans, which have just begun to appear – mine won’t be ready for a few weeks yet – and spinach and basil, and all of this fresh food makes the heat *almost* worth it.

{Funny}

She’s a helper, one who observes what we do and desires to follow in our footsteps (which has me watching my own behavior more closely these days, I must admit). She’s recently begun “setting the table” at all times of the day. She stands on her tiptoes to reach into the silverware drawer and carries handfuls of forks and spoons and knives to the table, throwing in some of her play food for good measure. This is the result and, though it causes extra work for me (really, what toddler activity doesn’t?), I can’t find it in my heart to make her stop: I love that she wants to help.

{Real}

As I said above, it’s fun to watch Katie learn and grow and “help” in the garden – but that help comes at a price. This is what happens when you turn your back on a little girl for five seconds too long: an early harvest, which leads to having to wait that much longer before getting to taste the fruit of your labors. She had one in her mouth when I turned around, and she spat it out with a grimace. “No taste good, Mama.” Hopefully, the bitterness of it coupled with our discussion about waiting until they’re ready will help deter such eagerness in the future … but I’m keeping a more careful eye on her, just in case.

Those are the {pretty, happy, funny, real} moments around here this week.How about you? Head on over to Like Mother, Like Daughter or leave a comment here and share the contentment you captured this week!