grateful

you know how you start thinking about someone who maybe you haven't seen in a while? or perhaps its one of your very best friends you see everyday. maybe a family in your ward or a passing acquaintance?.. and the more you think about them… sometimes over the period of a day or sometimes a week, month or more…the more you feel the need to call and check on them? I'm here to tell you i’m terrible at actually calling to check on you on these occasions…really it’s something i strive to be better at!

but I'm also here to tell you that I'm grateful to all of you who still listen to that small voice prodding you. I'm grateful for the random text message, email, facebook or drop in. there is a reason we think about people like that, a reason why they pop into your head everyday until you do something about it. and I'm here to tell you…you are always dead on. the call was needed, a moment…just a moment was all it took to make my day, to feel a little less lonely, a little more loved and a LOT more grateful to have you in my life!  i really do think there are angels that walk among us who hold us up when we can’t do it ourselves, i believe thats how we all make it through the bad days…and i believe those angels are you.

thank you for listening to that voice… that small gesture  always does more than you will ever know:)

it finally got me

i have been so proud of myself! i didn’t cry the first day of school dropping londy off! i didn’t lose it when she told me she was so excited to go back. but today dropping her off at the kindergarten playground i got a lump in my throat! there she went running…pigtails bouncing with the little white striped ribbons on each one.puffed sleeve white tee,  cute little pink skirt swooshing as she skipped away in her brown blinged out flip flops. a huge pink backpack strapped to that teeny tiny little back…waving and shouting bye mom, bye mom, have a great day! even as i write this i get a little teary as it suddenly hits me…she is getting old, i’m going to blink my eyes and she is not going to want me around. she won’t want those silly pigtails or the babyish bows. i melted today to realize this is my chance…the here and now..to soak up each moment for soon they will be gone. she will be too old, too cool to kiss her mom goodbye in front of her friends and i am saddened that i only get to do this once and elated that i have been given the gift of this beautiful, special amazing gift of a daughter i call london!

 

sweet kamila

i have a beautiful new niece kamila. and she happens to be the daughter of my adorable sister krissi. krissi and chip wanted to  bless her with as much family around as possible so we got lucky and they picked az. as usual it was a whirlwind weekend but always fun to see the fam. there was EL Encanto one night with my favorite pollo fundidos. then there was bowling on the wii. the next day was the blessing and brunch. so glad krissi’s fam could make it! oh i do love that family!

firsts

there have been a lot of firsts in our house lately. most of which are for london. two weeks ago londy started dance lessons, a combo class of tap and ballet. wow was she excited when i came home and told her of this marvelous new adventure! immediately she wanted to know what she was going to wear and when could we go shopping for a ballet dress. so off we went to dees dancewear. i grew up dancing and shopping there so i was every bit as excited. the cute girl working there showed us what we needed and londy put on a show for me. now obviously we couldn’t get a plain black leotard…it had to be something with sparkles…something fancy. just like my sweet girl!

 

 

so it’s the first day of dance and her teacher is adorable! don’t get me started on her perfect dancers body that made me want to not eat for a decade! i digress…

it was so cute to watch my girl with a smile about as big as i have ever seen her make on that beautiful little face. at the end of class her teacher makes them, one by one, show the class what they learned that day. every little girl kind of shyly twirls a little, maybe does a plie but not my london. you would think this girl is in the russian ballet! running, leaping, jumping in the air and landing in the splits! i mean really folks? she is such a hamm! and is totally convinced that she just did it with such grace. HILARIOUS!

the next set of firsts has been making me nervous for years! londy started kindergarten! wow she is getting old! we went to meet the teacher night and she again was sooo exicted! we did all the picking out of lunchboxes, some new school clothes, purple for her folders and binder too!

the big day finally arrived and i think i was more nervous for her than she was. what if they aren’t nice to her, what if what if what if? you want them to do so well and enjoy that first day and first year cause gosh they have a long road ahead of themselves!

daddy went into work late so he could go with us to your first morning. you were all smiles, so cute in your red shirt and your hair flipped. london is still not sure what is wrong with mom and why mom thinks this new flipped do is cute. sigh…just the start of many years of me telling her how life is gonna be!

when i went to pick her up almost 7 hours later…it was hot, and she was sweaty and tired and we had to hurry to make it to dance class. im thinking she is going to tell me she hated it and she doesn’t want to go to dance but she surprised me. she looked up at me and said “mom i played outside today and got all sweaty on my back and my neck and its hot and i get to do it again tomorrow” you know this was all said with excitement and those big eyes made even bigger while tellin me. i explained we had to go to dance and she jumped up and shouted “yipeeee”. wow they never fail to impress me! i was tired just hearing about her day!

notice how she is posing? yep all by herself, she is even looking at the camera…guess she is really growing up!

happy week of first londy lou! we are so excited for you!

xoxoxo

infomercials

sometime last week I woke up to find London on the couch watching TV. this is not an unusual event… however seeing your 5 year old glued to an infomercial for a vacuum is. she immediately began by telling me…

mom look, we gotta get one of these vacuums there is dog hair everywhere and then its gone. it can pick up screws and nails and even fruit loops. this is sooo cool! mom can u even believe it? she was so excited and all of this was said without even a breath or break in between words. gotta love these kiddos…from the mouths of babes!

if she would vacuum like this and be excited about it I would even buy her a dyson! because mommy hate to vacuum!

worlds worst

school starts in a week and i find myself super excited for londy girl! to start something new and to be with other kids:)

oh how i hurt for her sometimes! for being an only child and for having a mom who simply is not the mommy she should be! i am not a play on the ground for hours kind of mom. im not a make believe, watch cartoons for hours kind of mom either! as i read some of your blogs…(lisa especially) i see how moms are supposed to be. like tonight how lisa is talking about how she is reading with her kids in their favorite play spot on the stairs and how she will leave the kids toys where they put them to keep them happy. i admire this because A……i dont make the time to play with lou like she wants me to. and second because i am a freak!!!! about having things put away. i mean we have 4bedrooms and one little girl with so many toys that they are overflowing into every room in the house and i keep insisting they be kept in HER room. grandmas and grandpas just dont seem to understand that we are bursting at the seams and to stop buying her things! i digress….

somedays… ok most days, i just feel as though im falling short in the mommy category (along with a few others we wont get into) so i am so excited for her to go to school and hopefully love it, make friends, learn lots, forgive easily, reach out to others, not be the bully, not be the teachers pet, not be made fun of, laugh til her sides ache. and enjoy the new road she is on that will be her life for the next 18 to 20 years.

and as for me…i hope that while she is gone i will find a way to be that better mom and to make time for playing on the stairs, reading books and just snuggling on the couch!