Her name in lights

Welcome to big girl land.

This weekend was monumental for Libby-- not because it was her first dance recital.

Dance recitals are fun but totally trivial.

No, I think this weekend was big because I got to share one of my all-time greatest loves with one of my all-time favorite people: performing.

For the first time in her little life, Libby put it all on the line, faced her fears, and did her thing in front of several hundred pairs of watchful eyes.

 And to put it mildly, she was amazing.

Although she was a little nervous before her big moment....

and maybe even a little scared.....

the little girl pulled it all together and did her very best.

And the whole time, she remembered to focus on what was

THE MOST IMPORTANT thing she had to do that day:

HAVE FUN.

And that she did.

She even got an award for being the one who always keeps the teacher on track

 and picks up on new skills quickly.

Ummmm....could you possibly describe my child any more perfectly?

And I do believe that after this first attempt,  my little one has inherited her momma's love for all things

stage-like.

She said she loved every minute of it.

And while dancing is fun, that's only a smart part of it, I think.

I mean, yes I'm proud my little one can shimmy and shake,

but I'm much more proud that she can look her fears in the face.....

and say BRING IT.

Being on stage has brought me so much joy.

 I love the late night practices, the people,

 the nervous feeling that consumes my stomach before I take the stage,

and the rush I get while it's actually my time to shine.

And I am thrilled to share this love with my first-born.

Whatever God has in store for her, I have a feeling that it's something VERY, VERY big, because He's made her so fearless, so funny, so driven, so talented, and so independent.

Oh, and as for the make-up.....she's officially in love.

Those little summer moments

I like to believe that summer is made up of lots of little moments that somehow seem to add up to something big, something wonderful, and something magical.

Here are some of the moments we've experienced in the past few days:

- The moment I realized this whole 'stay-at-home mom job' thing might turn out to be bigger than I'd ever hoped....

- The moment we rode by our old house, which is now sporting a new coat of paint, and it no longer looked or felt like home.

-The moment Libby opted for rocker silly bands over princess, and I realized that she's growing up before my very eyes.

- The moment this little one REALLY learned how to jump in her jumper, and it hit me that very, very soon, there will be no stopping her.

- The moment Hollyn discovered that adorable baby staring back at her while she takes a bath.

-The moment this one took her first swim of the summer.

-The moment I looked at her and saw a big girl instead of the baby she once was.

-The moment this one sported her first accessory.

And last but not least:

- The moment I realized we got exactly what we prayed for this super mellow, laid back little girl who will sleep any place and any time she sees fit.

I can't wait to see what other moments summer is sure to unveil....and thanks to all who prayed for Hollyn last week- we've been spot free since Saturday. :)

Seeing spots

Have you missed me this week? I've most certainly missed you. To put it mildly, this has not been a stellar week at our house.

What have we been doing, you ask?

Oh, well we've been busy seeing spots.

In fact, I've seen so many spots this week that my life will be complete and my heart will be content if I never see another spot as long as I live.

Roseola- we are not friends.

You are not welcome at my house.

You cannot stay for dinner.

 In fact, you've completely outworn the welcome I never extended you.

 Pack your stuff and hit the road.

Now.

Please.

I suppose the only positive thing I can say about this experience is that I haven't felt the need to do any arm workouts this week-- I've gotten plenty by holding my five-month-old for hours upon hours every day in an attempt to appease her during her time of uncomfort. My biceps are like steel. Do you hear me? Steel.

And Libby, in an attempt to get on the action, 'broke' her foot at dance and needed a 'cast'.

Fastest healing 'broken' foot I've ever seen. In fact, by the time I snapped this picture....

I think she was feeling much better.

And speaking of feeling better....don't worry about H. We'll make it.

I mean, she can't stay spotted forever, right?

Pseudo Sisters- Part Two

*** In case you missed part one of this, you can find it here.***

Bless you, my darling, and remember you are always in the heart – oh tucked so close there is no chance of escape – of your sister. ~ Katherine Mansfield

 

This quote utterly exemplifies how I feel about this one:

 

 

Bloggers, meet my Rebecca.  She's my pseudo sister, number two, and I absolutely could not possibly adore her more. She's the little sister I never had, my greatest cheerleader (other than my mom, of course), my all-time support in the motherhood department, and my favorite sounding board. She's also my guitar hero, the most patient person I've ever met, and who I aim to be in terms of serving others.

Words cannot express how much I love this one.

She's been there during the birth (well, in the lobby, seeing as how I've had two c-sections) of both of my babies. She also happens to be Libby's godmother. To say the Libster adores her-- well, mildly put, that just doesn't do it justice.

She's the friend I know I can call any time of day, and although she's truly one of the busiest people I know, she's never too busy for me. We can go weeks (although I'd rather not) without talking and NEVER miss a beat. We have very similar parenting styles, and she loves my girls unconditionally....this was put to the test the time Libby got the stomach virus at her house. We're still talking two years later. That's true friendship, folks.

She is a true spiritual advisor for me, and I firmly believe every Christian girl needs one of these. I know I can always rely on her to give me good, Godly advice, to always listen to me, always be honest with me, and support me no matter what kind of mess I may fall into one day down the road.

We met my last year in college and took to each other like flies to honey. In fact, she's my social club little sister. (Good thing that worked out, because she threatened to quit pledging if she'd been paired with anyone but me. ;) ).  And for the past eight years come this September, a piece of my heart has had her name on it.

Should I ever have a crazy, completely random, totally off the wall idea, she's the one I call, 1.) because I know if she laughs at me it will be with love, and 2.) because I know that if she thinks my idea is total junk she'll find the perfect way to word her response that will leave me knowing I need to rethink and still feeling ok about my decision-making abilities.

In addition to loving her, I also love her little one like he is my own.....

...and sometimes I wish he was.

So, Becka- thank you.

 Thank you for loving me despite all my imperfections, bad decisions, and days when I don't call.

You are truly one of my greatest gifts.

Summer's rollin' on in

Oh, summer. I am so in love with you. Just knowing you're here makes my heart smile. However, the fact that we're already two weeks in seems crazy to me. Nevertheless, it's been a good two weeks. There's been lots of this going on at our house as of late:

Despite the fact that she drools like a Basset Hound, I am c-r-a-z-y about this kid. She's a cutie, and I swear I think she knows it. And what made her smile yesterday you ask? Oh, well that would be a surprise visit from my college friend Summers and her ADORABLE little girl, Lydia.

I love how babies are so fascinated with other babies. It's almost as if I can see her little thought bubbles saying, "Hey. You're little. I'm little. Sit, stay, and let's be little together."

As for the Lib, in addition to rocking her first tennis lesson this week, she also has discovered a new love: skating.

And I've discovered that the skating rink hasn't changed one little bit since I was a wee one. And seriously- where I can get some carpet like that? Man, that's cool. (cough, cough, wink, wink)

To never have skated before, I was super impressed with not only her skill but her willingness. She didn't hesitate one bit; she just took off and gave it her best shot.

There are many things I love about Libby, but her ability to try something new in such a fearless little way has to be one of my favorites. I love how she's not scared of failure; she just goes for it, fail or not, even if failing can result in falling.

And when she did fall, she handled it oh so well. She just stroke a Libby-like pose, got up, and kept right on trying something new.

And more times than not, she didn't fall or stumble even a little. In fact, I'd say she pretty much rocked her first skating effort.

And to top off the night, we got to hang out with good friends......

and eat good birthday party food.

Oh, and my favorite part- the cupcakes were topped with fortune cookies. Check out Lib's fortune:

Well, what a relief. Good to know that when she turns thirty, and her daddy finally accepts the fact that she's old enough to even date, that she'll be happy.

And even better, here was mine:

Score. Thanks, fortune cookie. And in that case, I'm off to attempt the following:

1. play every Jack Johnson song on my guitar

2. clean my house today and have it still look clean tomorrow

3. run two miles without wanting to keel over on the side of the road and hoping  no one notices me as I slowly die of either embarrassment or the inability to breathe, whichever comes first

4. land a book deal

5. eat all the mint Oreo's my little heart desires and still be ok with the way my post baby body looks in a swimsuit

6. spend all day reading and yet still have supper cooked and the house cleaned by the time Lee gets home from dinner

Let's see if you're up for that challenge, oh wise fortune cookie.

And, before I leave to go attempt the impossible, I just thought I'd show you what Hollyn thinks about Mom's to-attempt list:

Yeah, I know Hollyn; Mom might have lost it. Regardless, summer- week three:  bring it. We can take the heat.

Photo challenge

I don't normally do this, but I'm taking a risk, being bold, and entering this week's challenge.

This week's theme is water, and I'd say this pic. pretty well captures that.  I took this shot at my daughter's fourth birthday party. The picture gods must have been smiling down on me that day because I got more good shots in that one hour or so than I normally get in a month.

5 thanks- June

So, besides being over-the-top thankful for summertime, here are some other things that I can't seem to get off my mind and am truly thankful to have found.

1. Rainbow flip flops

I think we've talked about this before, but I am true flip flop kind of girl. I adore them. I'd literally wear them all day, every day if it weren't for winter and her evil ways. Seriously- I put them on in April and take them off in October. And I figure if I'm gonna wear something for seven months out of the year, it should be something comfortable. Hear me when I say, it doesn't get any more comfortable than this. They are 100% worth the investment. They form to fit your feet, and my feet are quite the fan.

Oh, and to make these even better- they were a gift from mi madre. Thanks again, Mom.

2. My daughter necklace

I've been eyeing this for a while now, and I finally gave in and bought it. How did I pay for it, you say? Well, that's a funny tidbit for you. I hocked my high school class ring. Yes, I jumped on the 'sell your gold jewelry for cash' bandwagon, got rid of something I was never going to wear again, and got something I don't plan on taking off any time soon. It has Libby's initials on one side and Hollyn's initials on the other. And I love it.

3. My plants :)

I've tried growing things before, but it has never been anything even remotely close to a success....until now, that is. After seeing my cousin's Zinnias last summer, I just knew I had to have some of my own. Libby and I planted these seeds about four weeks ago. I can't wait for them to actually produce flowers. Wonder how long that will take....I'm not the most patient kid, esp. when pretty flowers are involved.

4. Time to read

As an English teacher, I'm pretty much reading or at least talking about reading for eight hours a day. However, reading to teach and reading to enjoy are two different beings, at least at my house. I was literally ecstatic about my trip to the library today to pick up some summer reads. Reading, to me, is like an escape of sorts. I've been told I read like a ravenous dog. I completely immerse myself in a book, coming up only long enough to eat and sleep....well, scratch that-- I've been known to stay up way past my bedtime to finish a good book. I've been that way as long as I can remember. Reading is what I do, and getting to read just for the fun of it makes the reading twice as good. And, before you ask, don't worry-- if I stumble upon anything I especially enjoy, I'll be sure to share.

5. My comfort food

No, it's not actually food. But it serves the same purpose to me as midnight Oreo's might serve to you. I cannot tell you how many times I've seen this movie. However, it still  manages to make me laugh out loud, think deep, and anticipate my favorite part. I think the main reason I keep coming back to it is because I relate to the main character so well. She's me in movie form, I do believe (minus a few choices I don't exactly condone). And that, my friends, is comfort enough for me.