~Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life, as inspired by the women at Like Mother, Like Daughter~

After our crazy start to August, we’re settling in, taking some deep breaths, and looking forward to the cooler temperatures and (slightly) more structured days of fall. Here’s what we’ve been up to this week.

{Pretty}

On Sunday, we drove over the pass and gathered with family to celebrate my mom and her birthday. We started home again just as the sun was beginning to set, and wow, did we get a show. For at least an hour, until dusk had really and truly faded into nighttime, the sky strutted its stuff, shifting colors and spreading light and generally showing off. This photo, taken on a cell phone through the windshield of a moving car, doesn’t begin to do it justice.

{Happy}

Here we all are, the entire motley crew that gathered for Mom’s birthday. Nearly all of my siblings and their families (minus one brother, three nieces, and one nephew) attended. I’m happy that I have these people in my life to love and to celebrate. Most of the time (grin), I’m even grateful to be related to them.

Also happy: this bag of free damaged produce (mostly tomatoes, with some peppers and onions thrown in) which I scavenged from the local farmers’ market. I showed up just before closing, asked if they had any seconds, and was happily surprised by their abundance and kindness. This bag, together with some hot peppers from my garden, turned into five pints of home-canned salsa.

{Funny}

I present to you a photo series entitled “Mama and Katie Make Faces, or Why Jenn is Not an Actress.”

{Real}

Some days are hard. Some days, I’m overwhelmed and tired by the end of the day, sure that I have nothing left. Some days (especially lately, when it seems that Katie might be transitioning away from needing a nap every day), I wonder whether I’m really cut out for this motherhood thing. Some days, my house looks like this when Jonathan comes home from work, and I tell him, only half-jokingly, that I fantasize about running away. On such days, I’m grateful for a partner in life and in parenting, one who swooped in and got the reluctant preschooler to pick up each room of the house as I finished dinner, who cleaned up the kitchen after the girls were in bed, who encouraged me with hugs and with words and with actions after a long day.

Those are some of the {pretty, happy, funny and real} moments around here lately. What about you? Did you capture any contentment this week? Share in the comments!