Basically this is the story of Will and bubbles. Clever post title huh?
When Will was littler he did not like bubbles. I even had two bubble machines that I would fill up and randomly run in hopes that my little man would be intrigued by these floating orbs of beauty. No fat chance. He only wanted to be outside – sticky with sweat and squishing dirt in all his creases. That hasn’t changed but his love for bubbles? Totally different story.
He will work and work and work – huffing and puffing.
Redipping his wand into the soapy water trying to increase his chances, make it easier somehow, refilling his efforts.
And then he blows and blows and blows some more. It’s a job…it’s a very serious job.
It’s even serious when he has little bubbles forming a mini goatee. It’s that serious.
And then he works some more. tirelessly. ignoring everything else. work work work.
And then it happens. I know you know what happens. He gets it just right. His mouth forming the perfect O and the puff of his breathe escaping hard and steady enough to create this beautiful delicate orb.
Oh and THE JOY!!! It literally bursts with each little planet of soap….and it is beautiful.
I have bubbles in my life…more than just the $1 Miracle Bubbles that I got at the Dollar Tree…I have things that I work so very hard for…tirelessly…I ignore everything else around me and focus on creating these little moments of nothingness which are instantly gone the moment I try to really have them. This life is such a crazy thing…and it’s amazing how a little toy like Will’s bubbles remind me to work for the everlasting things. the really important things. the things that will last.
I confess that I don’t spend as much time as I should focusing on others. I don’t invest those extra moments in writing notes of encouragement or calling friends just to say I like you and I want to spend some time with you. I don’t put down my own ‘bubbles’ and love Jeremy & Will like I should…with my best energy and best time.
of course I say all that and in the same breathe, I say – sometimes, on a very rare occasion, bubbles are just what I need. A little shiny miracle of joy…even if they only last a moment.
Katie – he is getting so big! It’s crazy!!
Thanks for the reminder to focus on what’s important in life, Katie! The hubs, family, friends, and my faith– that’s what really matters.
Will is so adorable and those big brown eyes… irresistible!
Katie I couldn’t agree more! I too, lose my focus in the little trivial things all too often. Of course, sometimes, those little moments are just what we need. But in general… the everlasting things are the things that deserve our focus. We’re human. So it’s easy for us to forget. But so long as we keep our hearts open to constantly being reminded (for example, by a cute little boy and his new found love for bubbles 🙂 ) about what is important, and where we should turn our focus, I believe we are sincerely doing our best. I applaud you for honestly acknowledging this challenge so publicly. It’s brave and admirable.
Beautifully written! We learn so much from our kids don’t we?
Hey Katie and cute Will Bower!
I’ve always loved the little things in life, but its amazing how the ‘big’ things can easily outweigh everything else. That just life, but remembering the bubbles is what makes it so wonderful! I havent been able to blog in awhile, but my last post was this quote from Mark Twain “The best way to cheer yourself is to try to cheer somebody else up.” I hope that encourages you, but it looks like you are doing a pretty great job bring joy to others. 🙂
Love the expression of JOY you captured in the photo! A great way to make bubbles last longer :).
Great post, Katie. Thanks for the reminder!
My niece and nephew love bubbles… And in order to keep my title of cooles aunt, I’ve become quite the bubble afficianado. I have to say that the best bubbles are possibly the $1 bubble wands from Wal-Mart. They come in these colorful long, skinny tubes with a long, skinny bubble wand. If you twirl around they make tons of bubbles, and it’s so much easier for the kiddos! I recommend buying a giant refill bottle though, because they don’t have a whole lof of bubbles in them and is helps to keep them at least 1/2 full. And if Will (or any kids) are prone to sensitive skin, I’ve found that using watered down Ivory dish detergent works great!
Words of encouragement from Katie, gotta love it! I also agree that little enjoyable things come and go so quickly no matter the size small or large.
I especially like the part in this post where you came to the conclusion that the joy and reasoning of why you stopped for this moment was the bubbles er- ‘a little shiny miracle of joy.’
Thank you for such a positive and encouraging post.
Agreed, what a precious moment to have captured!
I LOVe how the simplest things can brighten up a child. My little Bub gets intrigued by something so silly as my hairbrush. It really shows me that sometimes I need to enjoy the simplest of things more and I just LOVe watching my little one smile away! Will is such a cutie and I enjoyed watching him figure it out! 🙂
wonderful post katie!! it gave me that little push i needed to mail a card to my friend who just had a baby and let her know that i’m thinking of her! hugs!
Love this post….a great reminder! 🙂
I to need to focus on those little things as well..Easier said then done! I cannot even believe how much Will looks like his momma when he smiles..Hes getting so big!
Such beautiful words! And a great reminder to put our bubbles down and enjoy all the great blessings around us! Thank you so much for sharing.
Katie! Where did you get that shirt? Hubster is a huge Spider-Man fan… I might need to track that down and set it aside for our future kiddos.
Umm…you almost made me cry. You have a way with words that I haven’t seen in any other blog. Thank you for writing this.
This post remind me of “Knocked Up” when Paul Rudd is telling Seth Rogan that he wishes he could love anything even half as much as his kids love bubbles.
Great pictures and great sentiment that we should all keep in mind each day.
I’ve recently discovered YHL and from there, you. Can I just tell you that I spent at least 4 hours on your blog yesterday looking at posts about your new house from category Dream House? I am a med student….this is not good! Your house has so much charm and character, not to mention it’s full of light and airiness. Hope you guys slowly make it a home and fill it with so many new memories!
This is so wonderful. Those pictures of his dirt speckled arms, his intense concentration, and his bebubbled mouth are just perfect.
What a great message to slow down and be. Thank you for the reminder.
I loved this post. I’ve been a reader of your blog for a long time and love your DIY ideas and photos of Will. But this post takes the cake for me. It’s exactly what I needed to hear today. So often we do work for Bubbles instead of things that last forever. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for the reminder. I could probably use some *more* bubbles over here lately.
Cutie looks a whole bunch like his mom in some of those pics.
Such beautiful words from a mommy I admire!
Amen.
This. Couldn’t have said it better myself!
Nicely said. Though I admit, I had a hard time focusing on the words and message when I was looking at your little guy and his bubbles!! My daughter is a little older and gets in the “zone” as well. When she finally gets it right and makes those bubbles she can hardly stand it!! It’s super sweet to watch.
I love this! Floating orbs of beaty…such a beautiful description. And such sweet photos : )
It’s from Old Navy I believe…we get everything from the clearance aisle – so you might wanna check there 🙂
xo – kb
What a beautiful reminder…
This could not have come at a more perfect time… I needed the reminder, especially about connecting with friends! Thank you! 🙂
you captured such great pictures here. The dirt in the little creases of his neck and all of over his arms makes me smile. He’s a boy through and through…so cute!
Katie – he looks JUST like you in the pic where he’s reaching out in front of him! I see it in the mouth!
It’s wonderful to see that you stop to enjoy these moments….they grow so fast….he’s adorable!
Really beautiful post! I love how you took something so sweet and simple as bubbles and brought out such a touching and meaningful message. Wonderful writing and great pix to go with, too!
awww. that was so sweet. I was so happy when will blew his bubble!!
The same thing goes for me…i could spend more time on other probably more important things..but sometimes i just gotta do me…ya know.
Katie B,
I think you spend an incredible amount of time focusing on others and writing notes of encouragement to them…
and that we are all so grateful that you do.
Loving others and putting them ahead of yourself is important, certainly. But it is not important to ALWAYS put others first, because you are just as worthy of your own best energy and time and shouldn’t feel guilty for giving some of it to yourself.
Congrats to Will on his awesome bubbles!
Watching children can teach us so much more than we’d ever thought. Good for you for paying attention to God’s lessons. I need to do that more. Thanks for this post.
What are your plans for his hair (now that it’s so long it starts falling into his eyes)?
We have been chatting about it and I think we are gonna do his first haircut before the wedding – so this month. But we like it long, so it probably won’t be much of a chop.
xo – kb
I just came to your blog via Centsational Girl and had to share that this post totally made me tear up. The photos of your son and your description of his actions and emotions is just precious and priceless. I have a one year little boy, and I just thinking of him doing this some day sooner than later. Thanks for sharing! A beautiful post!
Katie, your way with words is incredible but your photos are even better. The photo of Will blowing the bubble is breathtaking! If I ever captured something that really represented an entire moment like that does, I would blow it up life sized and hang it in our entryway!! 🙂 Love your blog and adore your photos!
Katie,
I’m a long time reader. You have such a gift with composing words and developing a post that leaves one feeling so empowered with what they just read. Thank you for once again challenging me to step up and be more to my guys and then to stop and enjoy the bubbles in my life as well. Thank you, thank you, thank you….