this was the best day ever!

we live about 2 miles from dunbar cave park, so monday after work, i took the girls and delilah down to where the road has been blocked off to see the effects of the flood. we took pictures, and the girls were amazed by the fact that the same grassy hill that they had rolled down just a few weeks before was now almost entirely covered in water. when we got back in the car, madelyn said, "this was fun, wasn't it, mom?" in her mind, we weren't viewing the aftermath of a horrible natural disaster. we were simply spending time together, walking along the waterside and watching ducks swim across a lake in the middle of the road.

i can think of a few times that the girls have declared that "this is the best day ever". like the time i wanted to get out of the house, so we went driving around and ended up at baskin robbins. or the time i bought paint and canvases and let them create masterpieces to hang in their rooms. or madelyn going to watch the new 'alice in wonderland' movie in 3D with her daddy. and ella still talks about the time she went with gran and papaw to cumberland falls (although that has been about a year ago, and the fact that her 3 year old brain can remember something that happened when she was 2 amazes me). of course, they also remember some not-so-happy moments. like the time madelyn ate so many jelly beans she threw up (that was almost 4 years ago and she still refuses to touch a jelly bean). or, more recently, having to watch their beloved pet die.

of course, some of my fondest memories growing up are family vacations to the beach and to the mountains. but there are tons of other memories that stand out in my mind. memories that are just...ordinary. like riding with daddy in the truck and listening to a mixed tape that he had made. to this day, i cannot hear 'mississippi squirrel revival' or 'seven spanish angels' without thinking of daddy and a semi-truck. or the time mom said we were going to get buttercups, and i got excited thinking she meant we were going to the store to buy reese's peanut butter cups. how disappointed i was when instead we went walking out in the field to pick flowers and i didn't get a single piece of the chocolate-covered peanut butter yumminess that i had eagerly anticipated.

i think my first memories date back to when i was 3 or 4. i'm certain that i can't remember anything that happened prior to that. which means that events that take place in ella's life right now, she should be able to recall when she's my age. it makes me wonder, with every word that comes out of my mouth and with every place that i take my girls and with everything that we do together...what is going to stand out in their minds when they get older?