Hello... Happiness??? Are you there?

I have said it before and I will say it again... 

Happiness is more than just a feeling... It's a choice.

Happiness is found in the beautiful special day to day moments. This morning has been so full of those moments and I just keep finding them all over. I found one when my husband put an extra blanket over me when he got out of bed to get ready for work. He knows how much I hate to be cold in bed. It was there when I peeked in my baby's room to see if she was still asleep but found her wide awake and laying there snuggling her stuffed monkey. The look she gave me made me want to cry tears of joy. It was there when we went to wake up big brother. Seeing how he will be laying in bed is always a surprise. We call him the sleeping ninja. And it is in the way my kidlets smile at each other when they see each other in the morning. Their love for each other is a force to be reckoned with. I felt the  happiness peek through the impatience and frustration I was feeling while Cooper ate breakfast and talked my ear off. I have to constantly tell him to eat more and talk less. But in all honesty I love how he talks so much. He is so clever and curious about life. And it was swirling around the room while Molly girl danced her little heart out to Bing Crosby singing Jingle Bells . She loves music as much as her mama. I even felt it as she pulled all my pot lids out and made a one baby band on the floor. And I felt it when Cooper proudly placed the little misshapen rug he made in front of the sink, stood on it and exclaimed "Comfy". And all those wonderful happy moments all happened in an hour.

But the happiest moment happened as I said the morning prayer before Coop ran out the door to catch his ride to school. At that moment I knew how and why I could be so truly happy. Unfortunately I sometimes get caught up in the world and it's worldly problems and I forget. I forget what true success is and I let the world tell me I am not up to it's standards. I don't have this or that... I don't have a long list of events and things to go to with all my many many friends. And I don't have my own big house and a closet filled with nice fashionable clothes for me to wear. I compare my life to other's and I think I'm not a success because I am not where they are at. And that gets in the way of my real happiness. But like Alison of The Alison Show says, "Avoid the comparison trap!"

We live in a small 2 bedroom duplex because rent where we live is so steep!!! Recently I let myself forget what really matters. I was frustrated that we didn't have a bigger house and that it wasn't as nice as this person's or that person's. I really don't want a big house though... I like small houses. I grew up most of my childhood in a 3 bedroom 1 bathroom house and there are 8 in my family. I never thought we needed a bigger home cause we didn't. I loved every bit of my home and being so close to my family. I know that we wouldn't have as many awesome happy memories if we would have all had our own rooms. We spent time together and formed a bond that I know other families don't have. I'm so thankful my parents knew what mattered and taught me to be grateful for what I have. It's those lessons that keep me in check when I start to feel like I don't have enough because someone else has more. Stuff does not equal happiness. Moments of faith and family... That's what equals happiness.

Yes I am HUGELY pregnant in this pic!

Love my family

If we are always waiting for happiness to come along with the next thing or promotion or whatever it is than we will never see that our happiness was right there all along. I am so thankful that I have been taught to see the happiness in my life. Sometimes it's right there... easy to find and easy to enjoy. Other times I have to make an extra effort to seek it out. It's hidden in a current struggle or a difficult moment... But it is always there. We have to make the choice to see our happy moments each and every day!

XOXO

Katie