Saturday night bonfire. Sitting with my husband and kids, and kids' friends ( as two of my three kids have entered their teen years the number of children in my house at any one time is at least in the double digits) enjoying the relative quiet.

My youngest has devised an ingenious way to roast multiple marshmallows by placing them on a large flat rock she has placed in the ashes. How on earth could this kid have lost the science fair?









My husband has the Orioles game on the radio and we're in agreement that this is just about the best way to listen to the game.






Linus the dog is not a big fan of the flames but is so overwhelmed with love for us he endures in order to be near us.

Normally I might have simply floated through this time, enjoying the moments together. Tonight I consciously absorbed a bit of this imperfect perfection.