Summer Time

Summer time has always been one of my favorite times of the year, but even more so since I was able to quit work. This is our first "real" summer together and I say this because this was Brooke's first year of school so before this year....summer was all year round! We have been enjoying this past month to the fullest! We joined the local recreation center and have been swimming almost everyday...and BOTH of my children are half fish so this has been a blast...plus it usually means early bedtime which is always a plus in my book :-) But the very most important thing that has happened this entire summer was my little baby....turned six years old....gasp!!! I can hardly believe I have been a mom for six years....so much has happened in my life in the past six years and I am pretty darn thankful for the spot I am in at this very moment!! So anyway this year for her birthday since she was finally old enough I presented her with a very important question.....I said "Brooke for your birthday this year would you rather have a birthday party with all of your friends.....or would you rather spend a day at six flags with me?".....now there was a point in time about six to eight months ago where this child made me measure her EVERYDAY to see if she was tall enough to ride rides so I pretty much already knew what the answer would be! She (without skipping a freaking beat) said A DAY AT SIX FLAGS...but could you at least buy me a cake! So it was set...now let me first tell you that six flags very well be my favorite place on the face of this very earth so I was pretty much...if not more...excited then she was!!! My amazingly awesome little sis...babysat Paige so me and Brooke could spend the day together....(can you believe she picked a day with me over her friends...love that little girl!!!)....here she is on our way there...sunglasses and all...(she is a pro!) We got there and the very first roller coaster she wanted to ride was the one that spins the entire way on the track (she is a little dare devil!!) It was so much fun watching her ride the rides...she acted like she had been there a million times and she knew exactly what she was doing! We ate corn dogs and curly fries for lunch and she had her first funnel cake (she was in love!!) we rode a ton of rides (we were there for SIX hours!!!) She got some birthday money from her grandparents this year and when I asked her what she wanted to spend her birthday money on her only reply was "cotton candy" so check out this thing that she bought at six flags!!!! By the time we left we were walking to our car and she stopped in the middle of the parking lot and said "I am NEVER going to make it to the car...AND I should have just choose a birthday party...... And before we even left the parking lot..... I would say the trip was success!!! I can't believe she is growing up so fast. I feel like just yesterday I was finding out I was going to have my first baby and now she is six years old...You couldn't even imagine how proud I am to be her mom. She has the biggest heart in the world and she is the most outgoing and vivacious child you will ever meet. Words can't describe how deep my love is for this kid and I am thankful for this summer and every summer I get to spend with her and her little sister! I am glad that this year on her sixth birthday she choose to hang out with her mama (who she still thinks is pretty fun) and take me on a date to six flags...because six flags may be my favorite place on this very earth....but watching six flags through my "babies" eyes for the first time was well.....FREAKING PRICELESS!!!

One PROUD Mama

Well today was the last day of school for Brooke. I went to her awards ceremony this morning and caught myself fighting back the tears as I watched my "little" girl cross the stage and receive her kindergarten diploma. It amazes me how much she has grown over the past year and not just in size (though she has done that to!), but as a person. I have watched her grow over the last year from being my baby to being my little girl. I have watched as she has learned how to read and write and all the other basic (and not so basic...I remember when kindergarten was about naps and coloring) things, but I have also watched over the year as her personality has shown more and more. This girl has the biggest heart for a child...at times I don't know how she keeps it in her chest. Her heart breaks for other people and she has an extra special place in her heart for animals...and if left up to her we would be the proud owners of EVERY single shelter pet in the world. She is so loving and caring that it fills my heart with so much joy. Every once in a while (when she thinks no one is looking) you can even catch her helping and being extra sweet to her sister. As I got in the car after the awards program...I put my sunglasses on and I cried my eyes out because I don't know how in the world I got lucky enough to have this little girl. Words can never come close to describing how proud I am to be her mama. Now if only I could figure out a way to freeze time...because if 1st grade goes by as quick as kindergarten then she will be going to college in a month or so. She is truly a gift that I undoubtedly don't deserve but am humbled daily and FOREVER grateful to have her in my life and to get the chance to watch her grow. Much, much, much love to you my little first grader!!! First Day of Kindergarten Last Day of Kindergarten

Thankful Heart Thursday

I stumbled across this poem and it spoke volumes into my soul this morning because lately I feel like I have been in a slump just going through the daily motions of life trying to stay afloat until the next one. I am NEVER ungrateful in my heart and I truly know without a doubt that I am blessed beyond comprehension....but when your house is a mess and your laundry could be considered a tourist site and you find yourself cleaning a bottle of shampoo off your bathroom floor....when you get so lost in the monotony of motherhood sometimes your actions (or lack of them) can scream out ungrateful. So with all of that said I wanted to share this poem and then I will tell you the top five things I am thankful for today.... "A Thankful Heart" By: Helen Steiner Rice Take nothing for granted, for whenever you do, The joy of enjoying is lessened for you. For we rob our own lives much more than we know when we fail to respond or in any way show Our thanks for the blessings that daily are ours-- The warmth of the sun, the fragrance of flowers, The beauty of twilight, the freshness of dawn, The coolness of dew on a green velvet lawn, The kind little deeds so thoughtfully done, The favors of friends and the love that someone Unselfishly gives us in myriad ways, Expecting no payment and no words of praise. Oh, great is our loss when we no longer find A thankful response to things of this kind. For the joy of enjoying and the fullness of living Are found in the heart that is filled with thanksgiving. On this very day I am thankful for many things....here are the top five in no particular order..... 1. I am thankful to be able to stay home with my girls. Almost two years to date that I quit my job and I am more thankful then ever. I never pictured my self as a stay at home mom, but I now truly know it was a blessing in disguise and am forever grateful. 2. I am thankful to have TWO happy and healthy little girls who at this moment think I am one of the coolest people on this earth. I know these days won't last forever so while they do I will be thankful. 3. I am thankful that my GREAT grandma has become one of my dearest friends. She is a very, very wise 85 years old and I am blessed to be able to talk to her on the phone often. I am thankful for that. 4. I am thankful for the prospect of summer. Tomorrow is Brooke's last day of school and this will be our first REAL summer since I quit my job and I am very much looking forward to sleeping in, swimming, and just all around enjoying my girls. 5. I am thankful for warm weather outside and air conditioning inside. I am thankful to have a husband who diligently works his butt off to provide for his family...who loves his kids more then life and adores me enough to keep me around :-) Happy Thankful Thursday....What are you thankful for today?