Back to the joy jar tradition! We have a Mason jar in the kitchen that has dated slips of paper inside, each denoting something that gave us joy on a particular day during the year. Lisa and I read these out loud on New Year’s Eve. Here are highlights from 2019:

• Aria talking her way into devouring multiple marshmallows for dessert…again.
• Aria in our bed for two nights after nightmares from a Super Bowl commercial.
• Aria with her own little pink ukulele.
• “Bakkitball” with Aria. She talks up a storm when playing by herself.
• The week I took off from work to take care of Aria while Lisa was in Alaska.
• Aria’s morning hugs.
• Watching Aria brush her teeth with Daddy. Her giggle and smile were precious.
• Aria’s unadulterated joy playing with squirt guns. She soaked Clarke.
• Hawaii with the whole family.
• Jake Shimabukuro at the Elsinore Theatre. And I got to meet him!
• “Daddy, this is going to sound really weird. I’m thankful for pants.”  — Aria, age 5

We saved our favorite notes and put them in a time capsule with the others from years past. The new year always has its challenges and opportunities, so a new joy jar is ready to go for 2020 as a reminder of all that’s good during the next 366 days — it’s a leap year. Happy New Year!

Here are a few joyful pictures from 2019: