Carole is away on vacation this week (and her Instagram feed is full of friends, fun – and good drinks – be sure to check it out!) so I’m on my own to come up with a topic for today’s post. I didn’t really have the idea until I’d edited and uploaded this handful of photos, looking for something that might tie them together. And yeah, long time readers won’t be surprised at what I found. I’m not sure this is going to be a list of ten, but it is going to be a list…of things that are making me smile. today.

1. How much this little guy wants to do – and can do – on his own. A few months back, I had to hold his hand(s) up the stairs on this slide and then hold one hand on the way down. Not now. Once it’s his turn to go, he can climb up, get his feet forward and slide down all by himself.

2. Also, we get lots of compliments on his outfits when we’re out. I can’t take any credit for what he’s wearing (except that it’s clean after 2nd breakfast and maybe a snack), and that makes me smile too.

3. The photobooth. Obviously.

6. These roses are my new favorite shade of pink-orange. I’m not sure you can see the true color on the screen, but trust me, it’s lovely. I took the photo when Holly and I were out for our evening walk, wanting to capture the color…but what I found when I opened the photo on a bigger screen was a complex mix of light and dark, age and bloom…

I also thought about listing how happy I was to hear about a few of the Supreme Court’s last rulings. Honestly, even hearing they’d made a few rulings was a happy surprise, but hearing that they went my way was even better.

I hope your week is off to a happy start…and you’re finding something to make you smile – especially something surprising!