Simple Moments: found after dark

Hey guys, just a quickie here to participate in Brooke's Simple Moments weekly photo challenge.

This week has been full of lazy dinners & afternoons, thunderstorms, and the most humid weather you can possibly imagine -- sorry Brazilian Amazon, but it's true.
My potted plants are saturated in water, the poor lizards are not getting enough sun, mushrooms are abundant, and we have lived under a constant cloud cover for like 4 days. We actually dig the cloud coverage. It's one of the cool things I like about living in southeast Texas. Clouds. All over. Beautiful too. We didn't have that in northwest Texas. It was just sun. So when we know the sun is behind those clouds and getting close to dinner time, we take the opportunity to spend time outdoors because, let's face it, I'm not that type of person who is willing to sweat outdoors if I don't have to. 

Some nights, it's nice, other nights, it is forgotten and we prefer the company of our flat screen. This night, the boys chose to ride their bikes around the complex. And then daddy decided to get his bike out. And then they begged him to give them rides. So he did.

While they're off riding, I sit in my chair and soak up all the beauty He has provided. I appreciate the breeze, the view, my poor little plants, and the sounds of their laughter and screeching and Gary's panting because he's riding so fast. However, I do this like this: 

So needless to say, this is not my best look. The top bun is just not me, it looks better on my little sister (which is why I snapped this pic, to show her I was sporting the "Dawna") This is how my guys see me almost every day. This is how I choose to remember this night. The beauty of the skies and the freedom to enjoy it from our front door. 

Another unforgettable simple moment happened the other night. Lately, Andrew has been interested in tea parties and playing restaurant. He has been "taking our orders" and loves writing scribbles down. So we finally decided to play restaurant for real. 

Hubby participated by getting a tablecloth and 'setting' the table. And he surprised us all by turning it into a candle lit dinner. It was kinda crazy how it all came together. 

I put on a little apron on Andrew and he grabbed his notepad and pen. He was incredibly excited to be our waiter. With that little smirk he always has. And I kinda was too. Of course, I was the one who cooked our dinner. I placed the pan at his level so he would be able to serve us. Confidently, he wrote our order, took our plate, served the food, then brought the plate back to us. He handed each of us a 'ticket'. 

That night, having everyone sitting around this little table, being formal, and just pretend playing was magical! I loved every minute of it. 

I managed to get a little short video of our waiter in action with the iPad. I didn't use my camera because I wanted to be in the moment and not worry about my settings or capturing something just right. The video is a bit dark, so bear with me :) 

So yeah, Andrew's Ristorante was a hit. Hope you enjoy.

You guys are all welcome to make reservations.