3 years.

It's been 3 years since my life was forever changed. 3 years since I walked into a delivery room and came out a mom.

 3 years of life lessons. 3 years filled with some messes and 3 years filled with successes.

 It's been 3 years filled to the brim with love that I never knew I was capable of. I have learned so much over the past 3 years and I owe it all to a little boy that the Lord graciously blessed me with. And tomorrow when I wake up, I will celebrate him.

 I will celebrate the laughter, the joy, the silliness.

  I'll celebrate the kid who challenges me to have more patience and to show more grace. I am a more compassionate person just because of how the Lord has used him in my life.

 I'll hug him and tell him that he's by far, my favorite 3 year old on earth. We'll read his favorite books, eat his favorite foods and dance to Michael Jackson.

 We'll celebrate his funny sense of humor, his enchanting imagination and his awesome fashion sense.

But above all, we'll be praising the Lord for His goodness and for blessing us with such a wonderful little boy who has chocolatey brown eyes,

a squishy button nose,

 hair that's a hot mess and those deliciously kissable lips,

  and smile that can light up any room.

 Happiest of Birthdays, Kidd-O.

I love him to infinity and beyond.

6 Months of Loving Lucy.

So it's been 6 months since our Bitty Boosy came into our lives and it has been a wild ride. Just when I thought that I had this parenting thing down, enter our gal. Isn't that the way it always goes? When Kidd-O came into our lives, it was nothing but smiles. Literally, smiles...all the time. He has been happy, go-lucky from day one. Easy peesy, lemon squeezy. Morning, noon and night: Smiles. And then comes Boosy, who we have also named Judy Moody, Rudith Judith, Crabby Patty, and Saucy Susan due to her little girlish outbursts. She's wonderfully perfect most of the time...until she's not...then you better watch out.

 

While it could be really easy to make a list of comparisons between my 2 kiddies, I have learned it's best not to. They are not the same. They both bring different things to the table and I'm learning to celebrate those differences. Heaven knows I don't need two Boosy's and certainly not two Kiddo's!

While it might be a little more difficult to pull a smile out of my girl, when I do....it's pure sweetness.

 I know when I see that dimpled grin, it was worth the effort.

She has her daddy wrapped around her tiny little finger.

And She is completely smitten with her "bubby"...NO ONE on earth can make her laugh the way that he does. She's only been here 6 short months and the shared bond between siblings is already running deep and wide in this house.

Boosy can cuddle like no ones business.

 She's reserved and pensive and I'd venture to say, thoughtful. She possesses a quiet spirit that I hope stays with her throughout her life.

 She's got eyes for her momma and I won't complain about that.

 So yes, it's been 6 months with my girl and I have seen just how different my kids can be, but one thing is for sure...We all love Lucy!

Big Deposits

My best friend is from Ohio and growing up her family always went there during the Summer. Her description of it was always....well....boring. So when we had the opportunity to visit the state, I had low expectations. I was looking forward to a little vacation and I'd go anywhere as long as I got the chance to see the sunshine. But little did I know just how much this "boring" Midwestern state had to offer. The returns were huge and we made some big deposits into our family memory bank.

 We landed smack dab in the middle of the state among acres of corn and soy bean fields. And in the middle of the corn lay a little lake, full of charm and simplicity.  I was devastated that I wouldn't be in The South for my favorite day of the year, even more sad that I had to give up my 10th Peachtree Road Race number, but I can say that Buckeye Lake received us warmly and gave me 4th of July memories that will last a lifetime. 

 We also visited the northern-most tip of the state to see one of the Great Lakes. And although the vastness of Lake Erie was reminiscent of the ocean,  it's pebble lined beaches surrounded by lush green trees with cottonwood in the air told a different story. And instead of looking for seashells, we were on the hunt for Lucky Stones, and we got lucky!

 Ice cream dates, sparklers, s'mores and karaoke were woven into the week, along with playing cards, boating, reading, Popsicles and of course, fishing. The rain managed to find us in the middle of nowhere, but the sun usually prevailed.....thank goodness.

We ended our week with a stop in Cincinnati on our way home and boy, are we glad we stopped. This concrete jungle made the biggest deposit of all. We ate good food, walked around an unfamiliar city and stumbled upon some greatness along the way. We let the kids dance in fountains that were surrounded by stadiums, bridges and the Ohio River.

 My sisters ran around with Kidd-O, singing and dancing in the fountains. It was there that we saw just how quickly the wonder years of childhood go by in the blink of an eye, when my sister was taken by a since of awareness that wasn't there before. She asked my mom "Momma, am I too old to do this?" and my mom wisely answered "of course not, baby! Go....run...play." And so with that, we sat there and watched them be little for a little while longer. 

  We're home now and left with a bazillion pictures,sweet memories that will age really, really well and a reminder that every place has some beauty if you look hard enough!