Monday, June 27, 2011

Throw Out The ToDo List

Saturday night after a long but fun day, I fixed Kevo a snack in place of dinner.  He and I sat on our front stoop watching our neighbor set off illegal fireworks.  We kept our fingers crossed that the loud booms wouldn't wake our worn out Littles.  We toasted to a weekend of spending time with each other, as opposed to our normal weekend of getting as much done on the house as possible.

Earlier that day we took the girls to King's Dominion.  I've been going to  King's  Dominion since I was a little girl, so I know exactly what my girl is feeling when we pull in the parking and she squeals when she's the roller coasters in the distance. 

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There is something about watching my kids have fun, that just gets me to that misty state. You know when they smile so big that it spills off their face and even strangers start smiling watching them have the time of their lives. 
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That was my Little when the KD worker measured her and found that the top of her head just barely grazed the line on her measuring stick that said she was tall enough to ride the kiddie roller coaster, as long as Daddy went with her.  Her face beamed with excited pride as she rounded the corner, down the hill, with her arms up. 
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It made every hard moment we tackled this week worth it, seeing her that happy.  I love those moments.
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I love these moments too..when I get a chance to take a picture of my Littlest sleeping b/c even though she is almost 6 months old now, her mouth still does that fabulous thing it did when she was brand new. I still kiss that mouth repeatedly...all day long.
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Sunday we woke up and decided not to let the family togetherness stop. So we packed up the car, and took some friends up on their invitation to meet them at VA Beach. 
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I will be the first to admit that day trips to the beach are not my favorite...especially when we live 2 hours from the beach and when you have kids you take EVERYTHING with you!  You find yourself saying, "just throw in a whole case of baby wipes and sure honey, pack all 5 beach chairs, we might need them!"   When you arrive you load your husband, your kids, and your baby stroller down with so much stuff, when you finally reach the sand you resemble something that looks more like a band of Gypsies than beach goers.
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However, there is something I love about sitting in a make shift camp with good friends, while we swap sand covered snacks,  and sand covered babies.
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We say stuff like, "oh yes, we're getting on the road by 5:00, and home in time to tuck the kids in bed.  Five o'clock rolls on by and the warm sun setting behind us asks us to stay just a bit longer.  Instead of packing up we let her run with her friends a while more and let our chairs sink further in the sand...It happens every time.
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Last night we pulled out of the public parking lot at 8:07, both girls covered in a thin layer of sand, but fast asleep after a full weekend of fun.  I drove home so that Kev could catch up on work, and tuned the radio to "The Summer of 69" while Delilah and I solved the problems of the world.
When we finally made it home ,we tucked our babies in bed, sand and all, stacked the wet stuff on top the washer, and called it a good day.
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A very good day.
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Here's to letting that "ToDo" list go...I heard Jim Bob Duggar say "you'll never regret spending time with your kids" and regardless of what your opinion of Jim Bob is, he makes a very valid point!

Grace and Peace 
xoxo

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Alice

Laura took these pictures of Libby one day when she was here.
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She said that she reminded her of Alice in Wonderland, the way she flitted around our back garden.
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She does have a way about her that is very Alice-like, always in her own wonderland, talking to flowers and bugs.
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I like this one b/c it looks like Maggie is holding on to her saying "please take me with you Libby!"

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Sometimes I get frustrated with her for wandering around her own little Libby land too much, unaware of all the grown-up important things going on around her, but then I remind myself how much I'll miss it when she leaves Wonderland and goes to the mall instead.

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Not to worry though...I think most of us keep a part of that little girl spirit with us, no matter how grown up we get.  At least I do, you should see me when I get presents!
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Grace and Peace :)
xxx

Recap

Sometimes when I write on this blog I listen to music...it somehow makes the words flow smoother and adds a soundtrack to whatever life story I happen to be telling.  So, if I were adding a soundtrack to this post it would be  "Lean On Me," or something even a little more cringe worthy like "Friends Are Friends Forever," does anyone else even know that song besides me?  B/c in my head as I type, I am belting out Micheal W. Smith's best friend anthem! (I just googled it, and am now listening to it..."a friends a friend forever, if the Lord the Lord of them!)
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Anyway, 2 weeks ago the new house had it's first out of town guests.  It was perfect to spend a week watching my bff and her mama loving on my kids.  Libs is a huge Laura fan, and I can not express to you in words how she pronounces Jan's name...somehow she adds a extra syllable and it sounds something like  Ja-yan.  So all last week I had to answer "Where's Ja-yan Mama?," "She went back to FL Libs," "Did Grandad go back to FL?," "No, Libs Grandad is at his house," "but where is Jayan?"...read, repeat conversation...all week long.
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In case you don't know Laura, she is this girl I started laughing with 7 years ago and haven't stopped yet.  I call her or she calls me most days, and when she doesn't I put her on the list, and trust me you don't want to be on my list.  She's my person I call when I trip in public and she laughs with me...If you don't have a person I strongly recommend getting one.
I love her.
I love her mom too. 
I wish we could have kept them longer.
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Here's to visits from old friends, may we laugh to we're old and grey!

Grace and Peace friends
xxx

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

One Favorite Day

One day, 10 years ago I met Kev.  We had lunch together for a week, then he kissed me in New Orleans standing outside a court yard in the French Quarter.
He told me I was lovely.
When he left to go home, it took my breath away, and I just knew.
I never looked back.
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One day, 5 months later, I was on a plane to England by myself to visit a boy I had eaten lunch with several times.
I was sure that I loved him.
He took me to this place and told me that if he ever asked a girl to marry him, it would be somewhere like this.
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One day, three years later, he told me he loved me and asked me to marry him, in a place just like he said he would.
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One day, 6 years ago, while the hot June sun set behind us, and those we hold most dear looked on, we got married. It was one of my favorite days of all time. I smiled all day and danced all night. It was perfect for us.
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One day, 2 years and 8 months ago, he became a father of a baby girl.
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and one day, 5 months ago, it happened again.
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Ten years full of some my most favorite days.
Happy Birthday Babe,
and while I'm at it, Happy Anniversary and Happy Father's Day too...all of his special days happen at once!

Grace and Peace my Love, and lots and lots of favorite days!

Sunday, June 12, 2011

When The Stars Aline

There are days as a mom that I feel like I'm doing it all wrong...

But every now and then-, you get a day that is almost perfect, there are no blow out diapers, no melt downs, just a pretty baby girl that lights up when you look at her, and her big sister, who was calling out things like "Mommy look at me, I fying a plane,"

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This picture does no justice...I took the girls on a Ferris wheel by myself.  There was this moment at the tippy top when I felt really irresponsible as a parent.  I was using my leg as a seat belt.Photobucket
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Libby was delightfully little girlish on the merry-go-round.  She named her horse Giddy-Up and didn't want to get off  After the second time around, we had to get off b/c Mama couldn't take the spinning anymore.

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They wouldn't let Maggie ride a horse, go figure.  Instead she had to sit in a carriage and look cute.  So cute, that I started taking pictures and then couldn't stop.  This happens all the time.
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There are about 50 posts that I've been writing today, but I haven't even got to the ones I had planned to write.  I just found lots of pictures that I haven't posted...so here they are all.  Scroll down. All picture, few words, the best kind of posts.

Grace and Peace
xoxo

Swimsuits?????

I promise they were wearing clothes when we went outside.
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Libs found a watering can and thought her baby sister needed a drinkPhotobucket
Watch out baby...keep your eyes closed
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Don't worry she's okay
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I'm going to ind to find their clothes right now.

Pop

Just thought I would post these last pictures of our little pool...the dog popped it shortly after these were taken.
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Now we have a pink and purple princess pool.


Remember that time I said we would have all princess stuff over my dead body? Hmmmmmm.