The love is in the words of a child

This morning Emma decided to get Halie's guitar out and start strumming. While she has no idea how to play, she did a wonderful job. I was enjoying it. Then, she put words with it and made it all explode. Boo was sitting next to her as she played and was humming along. It would have made the sweetest picture, but instead I was sitting here typing out the words before I forgot them.

"When we knew you were going to be born, my sister was so upset. She thought you would get all the attention. BUT now you can do all kinds of things. You can sing. You can dance. You can jump. You can talk. When we got you, little Boo, it was all really good. It was all really good. Ohhhh yyyeeeeaaahhh.You're gonna grow up. You're gonna be great. When you put your little fingers on my nose and go oink, oink, oink it makes me smile because you're super cute. I love my baby sister. She's gonna grow up to do so many great things. I was worried  before you were born, but now I could spend my life with you. You are the person that I know is great for us."

YOU ARE THE PERSON I KNOW IS GREAT FOR US. I hope all 3 of our girls know that they are the people that are great for us and they bring so much joy into our lives.

Then came one about Mom:
 
"My Mom helps me be like this. She's the only one that I know that would be so nice and I love herrrrr."

 
I love that Emma loves her little sister enough to make up songs about her. It's little moments, like this one that help you realize that while we aren't doing everything right as parents....we are obviously doing something right.

I DID IT! I deactivated my FB account!

I did it! I deactivated my Facebook account. While it is only temporary, I feel like I need to reconnect with the important things and people in my life. Will I miss it? OF COURSE! I'll especially miss all of the sweet pictures of the ones we love so much, that are too far away to see often and the snow pictures. :)
I will reactivate it some time after the new year. When I am gone, I don't want my kids to read how I felt about them on my FB page. I want them to know that I did my best every day to show them how much I love them, and they deserve some less divided attention...because lets face it, with 3 kids, a husband and the rate life moves it will always be divided to some degree.

We attended our first home school group outing yesterday. It was a handmade Christmas gift exchange at the park. Minus the wind, the weather was beautiful, especially considering it is December and was in the 70s. All three girls had a blast. The girls worked so hard on the gifts that they made. Halie made a tutu, bracelet and hair clip and Emma did the Box O' Princesses, (from the tutorial posted by Little Blue Boo.) They both came out perfect. I loved seeing how hard they worked and how much pride they took in their gifts. Both big girls LOVED the gifts they got. Emma got an adorable pink apron with a cute owl on it and Halie got a beautiful box with some bath fizzies. Handmade gifts are always better. They were also excited because they each made 2 new friends. They met more, but really clicked with a couple. It made me happy. It's a wonderful start to our new journey. Friends always make things better. I was introduced to a couple of really sweet Moms and one brought us all some handmade lemon hand scrub (that is wonderful) and some shower discs that are PERFECT for the winter months!

I completed Halie's PAL admissions orientation for public home school today. I know it's not "real" home school, but I feel like she needs something more structured than I can give starting in the middle of the year and with Emma coming home as well. We need to build a foundation before I try to finish the whole house, if that makes sense. Halie will officially be home for school after the Christmas break. Her orientation week and skills evaluation will begin on Jan. 7th. I am praying that she is not nervous and this is a great thing for her. She is so bright and I know that there are no limits to what she can accomplish, but even still- change can be hard.

My plan with Emma is to start the same day- the 7th. I know it's a little longer Christmas break than everyone else has, but Emma will go into the summer because my plan is to start with day one of 2nd grade. She needs to relearn a lot of it and now I am learning that there is so much that for whatever reason, she was never taught.  It will be good. By then, we will be burnt out on having fun and I will be hearing the B word (bored) quite often  I am sure.


Today we just enjoyed each others company. H and E have been going between teaching each other art and playing outside for the majority of the day. We went next door for a bit to "help" the movers pack up our neighbor/friend's house. Boo was being a ham. Our friend's name is Andrea, but Boo can't say it, so she calls her Annie. She ran around the house saying, "Annie, I here." When Annie never came out or responded, Boo came to where we were sitting, on the couch with her little head lowered and her pouty lip out. :( It made us all a little sad because we realize that our very loved friends won't just pop out when we call them anymore. With that being said, we know that they have amazing opportunities in front of them and we are very happy for them.

           After that- Boo went into total ham mode, as you can see.


              Who needs a chair when you have a comfy big sister?

 And this...the infamous "diggin." I try to tell her Daddy that while he thinks she's funny, I am NOT going to have fun undoing all of these things she is learning. She was running around in circles saying in her gruff voice, "I dig gold, I dig gold."  On the other hand, I would like to say thank you, Brenna. For giving Mommy more than enough blackmail pictures to ensure that you will never date. ;) Love you honey!

Brenna is rarely still enough to fall asleep on my chest, but tonight she did. I think that she knew that I needed it. To feel her heart beat against my chest screaming that she is healthy and alive.  My heart is aching so badly for all of the families involved in the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting. I cannot even begin to imagine what I would do to coupe, or how I would even manage to take my first step after hearing the news. I have literally been in tears on and off since I heard the news. I just think about my beautiful children and I feel so blessed. I think about Christmas coming so fast and the birthdays that we will celebrate soon after....then, I think about all of the families who will never celebrate a holiday or a birthday the same, all because of a senseless, selfish act.

I have been hearing so much about the children. I think it is just so hard to make any sense of it. Of all of the people, why take the lives of innocent children. I haven't heard enough about the school staff. The teachers that hid their classes in closets and under book shelves. The teacher that hid her class, told them to be quiet and when the gunman entered, told him that she had dropped them off at the gym. She very selflessly saved those precious babies lives and lost hers. Or the custodian that ran up the hall telling everyone to get down, making sure that classroom doors were locked. Or the police and medics who have these horrific images burned into their minds.

I know that there are no words that can be said that will help bring any sense to this. There are no words that can take the immense pain away that these families are feeling.  What we can do for them is pray. We can pray that they find some kind of peace. We can pray that they remember that one day, they will be reunited with their precious angels.

Even those of us who were not directly impacted by this tragic event have been impacted for life. This is something that will never leave our minds. We are not just grieving for these families, we are grieving with them.

So, in the morning- when your kids get up at the crack of dawn and you didn't plan on waking up until 9....instead of complaining, take the extra hours to love on them. Tickles in bed, watch their favorite cartoons and try to copy the funny characters voices, let them help you make breakfast or let them pick out their outfit for the day and when they come in the living room to show you, tell them how stunning they look in their red shirt, yellow pants and pink boots. Praise them for who they are and all that they bring to your life. TELL them how much you love them, don't just expect that they know.  Remember that God knew you. He wanted YOU to have those beautiful souls for a reason.

With the hustle of life, we tend to miss out on so many important moments. For the Moms and Dads that were so wrongfully stripped of their mornings, hug and kisses and sleepy I love yous, TAKE ADVANTAGE of these moments that you are blessed with.

We are not guaranteed tomorrow. No matter our age, we are never guaranteed tomorrow. I will keep these precious children in my mind for the rest of my days. I will let it be a reminder to me that I never know when the last time I see my kids, my husband, my Grandma or my friends will be. I WILL do my best to make every moment count, because we never know when it will be our last.

Heartfelt prayers are going out from our family, for these beautiful families involved.

Life has taken over and left me in a cloud of dust. It's been 2 months since I last wrote anything. I don't think I have ever gone so long without writing. Here is a small update of what I can see now that the dust is starting to settle.

We are about to embark on one of the biggest journeys of our lives. We are about to become a home schooling family. I would lie if I said I wasn't a little worried and overwhelmed. Thankfully, I have met some amazing HS families through a community page that have been more than willing to share ideas and motivate me in the right direction. I already know that they will be one of the biggest keys to our success. WHY home school? I've been asked this question so much by the people I expected to get support from. E was recently diagnosed with dyslexia and ADD. She has had a really rough start to her education. Did you know- lovely public school has not even taught our 2nd graders to subtract yet? I don't mean borrowing, carrying and getting all fancy. BASIC subtraction. "What does that sign mean?" :( I taught her this on a Sunday morning in a matter of 30 minutes. SHE LOVED IT! Every day since she has come in asking me if she can work on math. I know my girls really well. I don't feel like they are being given the opportunity to reach their full potential. Will I do everything right? UM NO! Of course not, but with a lot of prayer, a lot of support from my husband and children who are actually eager to learn, there is no doubt in my mind that this will be a grand adventure.

I have decided that first we will just have some down time. Maybe a week of  freeing our minds and loving on each other. Just some time to make a clean slate. After that, I have a lot of little things planned to see where E is on the spectrum. I don't care if she is at a kindergarten level at this point- we just need to know the best place to start. Even if that means going back to the basics. Without a stable foundation there is no way she will be able to hold the massive amounts of knowledge she will be handed through out life. 

As for H, she is next. After E is situated and going we will bring her home as well. Why not at the same time? I know my girls. E needs much more attention and will require me to be by her side 99% of the time. Eventually, I know she will learn to be self sufficient, but that won't be now. H is a self learner. She doesn't like you to tell her how to do things. I think she really enjoys the challenge of figuring things out and being proud of herself when she can say, "I figured it out." With that being said, this is going to be a huge adjustment for all of us. I would like to make it as easy as possible. You can't forget that we have a strong willed, wild almost 22 month old at home too. :)

I am beyond excited to start this journey!

I am totally open to suggestions and little tips/tricks or "you need to know" advice. :)

We wear orange...

Our little town is doing a PINK OUT weekend event for breast cancer awareness. The kids were able to purchase PINK OUT shirts and wear them to school today, instead of their uniforms.  Of course, we support breast cancer research. It is a cause that is close to my heart, for several reasons.
 
Most people know that B was recently diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. I wanted the kids to know that Dad may be different some days and that is OK.  I wanted them to know that he is taking daily injections to help, not walk in the room one night and experience it and have no clue what is going on. I want my kids to be informed and to know how valuable both our health and our time together is.

H was having a hard time this morning understanding why you couldn't just have a support day, instead of just breast cancer.

I said, "well....what do you want to support and why?" Her response was, "The most important one to me is MS. I wish I could wear orange every day, BUT since I can't....today, I decided to wear a pink sock-for breast cancer and an orange sock, for Daddy."

Good lookin' out kid. I am not happy that my husband has MS. I am not happy about the effect it can play on his body, I am not happy that I have to watch him painfully take an injection every night. I am not happy to see my kids worry about him....BUT everything happens for a reason and I firmly believe that we are ALL learning from this.




I hope to make the kids shirts for the upcoming MS walk that we will be honored to  be a part of, that say...

I wear ORANGE for my Daddy, so that some day it will be just another crayon color!

So, to conclude this little note, I am beaming with pride in our ORANGE family. I am happy that we have a diagnosis, and so quickly. I am SO proud of my husband for being so brave. I am so proud of my kids for being so compassionate and wanting to know more.

B has MS, but it does not have him....nor does it have our family. 

When I grow up....

When I was younger, I always imagined I would be a teacher. I would come home from school each day, take all of my stuff to the playhouse and PLAY SCHOOL with all of Gran's daycare kids. I LOVED teaching. I loved every aspect of it. Then....as I grew up I wasn't sure if teaching was the right career for me. I absolutely have a passion for writing, so I thought perhaps a journalist would be a great fit...I questioned things, but I always end up back at square one, teaching. Isn't it funny how before you even know anything about the person you will become you can already FEEL who you are going to be?!?

Now, sadly....I am all grown up. I am not YET a teacher. I still have quite a bit of school left and the journey to become a teacher truly feels endless. I know in my heart that I will get there, but it all tends to get a bit depressing.

It has been a journey in itself, but now I realize that being home with you 3 girls is simply preparing me. It's letting me enjoy the beautiful moments with you- that I would miss otherwise. I am learning to be more patient. Learning to be more determined. Learning to wear more pride. YOU 3 little girls are TEACHING ME to be a teacher. Who would have thought that I would be the one....a grown adult, learning from my kids. 

I realize just how much you have to offer and to teach me. I hope that you grow up knowing that I LOVE our mornings together. I love it when you come home from school and won't shut up about that nasty boy, or your best friend that you tell me about every day- even though you can't remember her name....still. ;)

I love reading books together. I love the many giggles that we share. I absolutely LOVE tucking you in and standing around the corner peeking in as you say your prayers each night. You have such beautiful, perfect souls. I love everything about who you are, who you are becoming and who you will eventually be.

One day, I will be a teacher. Unfortunately, in the experience portion of my resume I won't be able to list all of our adventures together. I won't be able to put Ha, E and Boo as references. I won't be able to say loudly (and very proudly) that I taught and learned from, molded and was molded myself by 3 amazing little girls. However, you will be the pride that I wear on my shoulder. You will be the smile that I wear on my face. You will be the patience in my voice when that one kid keeps trying and testing me. You will be the will to go on when it's my first year in my classroom and I am having a rough time and want to give up.

YOU are making me who I will be- when I grow up. 

I pray that I have an ounce of the impact on your beautiful life that you have, everyday on mine.

I love you.  Thank you for motivating me, loving me, having patience with me, but most of all thank you for learning with me and teaching me. 

School year blues...

I am having a hard time coping with the teacher choice this year. :( We all just want the best for our children and sadly, not every teacher is in it for the right reasons. This has been a HUGE lesson to me. I was beginning to think that teaching isn't what I want to do anymore, perhaps a career in hospitality would be better- until my most recent experience with the kid's school and new teachers. It put me back in my place. I want NOTHING more than to finish school and teach. 

I have been reminded that some teachers are in it for the summer vacation, etc. I would NOT be that teacher. It breaks my heart, truly to realize just how many of these teachers there are. 

EVERY child deserves the best teacher they can have. If you choose this path, you should ROCK IT and feel honored to be playing such a vital role in so many little lives.

To every teacher:

 You aren't just a teacher. 

You are a role model, a sculpture that's helping shape these children into the adults they will too soon become. 

You are a friend to the kid that doesn't make friends easily.

YOU are the one spending the majority of MY child's life with them, filling the role, the shoes that I, as a Mom once stood in.

 I put ALL of my trust and faith in you to take care of the most magnificent part of my life. 

Please, remember that these little lives are priceless jewels.

 You are an everyday hero.

 A teacher is not JUST a teacher!

 I think YOU deserve a more honorable name. 

I am praying hard for a great, enjoyable school year for my kids, and all of the others too.

Check out this link-it's a great example of a REAL teacher. We should all aspire to be so great. ;)


http://kylenebeers.com/blog/2012/08/20/why-i-hated-merediths-first-grade-teacher-an-open-letter-to-americas-teachers/


I hope everyone has an experience like this- what a great reason to "dislike" at a teacher. :)

Drive in movie night

We used to have Fun Friday (family night) religiously. Then, life happened and we kind of just stopped doing it. Instead we would end up playing outside with friends, or just lazying around until we forced the kids into bed. Well, we decided it was time to end that- and get to know each other again, not to mention have some REAL fun.

Our first Fun Friday was a drive in movie night. We ALL had so much fun. We let the kids decorate their cars. Boo used a small box (ok, so it was Mom making it, with Boo's help for a whole 2 seconds) and the bigger girls used recycle bins, so they would fit into them comfortably.

There was some traffic on the way to the drive in! The little one had impatient road rage. ;)

 
We set up a concession stand that everyone could purchase things for the movie with chore bucks.

When I say everyone had SO much fun, I am not kidding. I think this picture says it all. :)

I LOVE spending such quality time with the ones I love the most and I can't wait for our family nights each week and I am so excited about the memories we are going to make at our Fun Fridays to come.

I will praise you more and more.

I am not the kind of person who is easily broken. I don't stress, I have ONE pace (SLOW)  I am just a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, and God is bigger than any trial we are faced with.

However, tonight- it is taking everything I have not to just bury my face in my hands in tears. 

I do NOT feel defeated.

I am NOT scared.

I am NOT doubtful.

I am concerned.

I am nervous.

I am sad to see my family facing such uncertain circumstances. 

My point to writing this post at all (which I debated in my head countless times) is that you don't always have to be strong. It is ABSOLUTELY OK to have moments when you bury your face in your hands in tears, or to have an alone moment to regroup, or whatever you feel necessary.

Sometimes, in order to keep yourself together- you have to let yourself fall apart.

Makes no sense, I know....

God is amazing.

It may take time.

Remember, we are on his time, not ours.

It's not going to happen over night.

We WILL get through this!

No matter what the situation....

ALWAYS remember the power of prayer....

...and NEVER give up hope!

 But as for me, I will always have hope;
I will praise you more and more.

 Psalm 71:14

My girl....

My sweet Boo! She is such a mess and I kid you not, she grows an inch a day!!!  I can't believe she has been such a great part of our lives for over a year now. It truly seems like just yesterday we were making our way to the hospital in the middle of a TEXAS SNOW/ICE STORM to induce! :)

Tonight, we went to dinner with Mimi...then we decided why not take some pictures of the littlest one. We really, really needed to do it- and there is NEVER a good time. 

So, we sent out on a mini adventure and boy was it an adventure! She was NOT a happy camper. Much to my surprise- you can't tell in the pictures, SCORE! Mom, 1....Brenna....well....I'm starting to catch up :p
 

This girl LOVES candy!  Can you tell?

It's a REALLY good thing that Daddy was there. Boo would see something and JET toward the pond. I mean it when I say jet!!!

 Then, she decided it was time to do some petal pickin'. 

He loves me not.....

..... HE LOVES ME! Notice the grin that suddenly appeared.

Boo LOVES puppies. There was a couple walking their dog and Boo was calling the puppy.

I have never met such a fierce little girl, ever. I don't mean fierce in a stay away she's too fiery way.

I mean fierce in an "I can do anything I want to do, there are no limits, no boundaries, I AM A BIG KID kind of fierce.

I truly believe with all of my heart that this little red head is going to change the world one day, with one hand tied behind her back. 

It's kind of funny....we wanted a little boy SO bad! Then, we found out we were having another, a 3rd LITTLE GIRL. I thought, really? We already have 2 lol. Would it hurt to throw a boy in there?

It's true. 

GOD HAS A MASTER PLAN!

I can't imagine any other little munchkin making our family...our lives more complete. 

Boo, 

Mommy thinks you rock.

You are the BEST 1 year old dancer ever. 

I keep hearing red heads will no long be around in a "few" years....

If that's true, it's no wonder such a ball of fire came as one of the last few.

Reds have to go out with a bang, and you are just the girl for the job.

You are SO smart.

I know, you're only 1.

I know, I know, I am biased too....

but really!

You are so smart.

You want to be in the middle of everything

and

You always have an opinion, even if we can't understand it lol

I love you, more than words can express.

I am beyond honored to be your Mommy.

I don't know what I have done to deserve such beauty in my life, 

from YOU and your sisters, 

but there is never a day that passes that I forget to say thanks!

I can't wait to see the records you break, the cures you come up with, the houses you decorate, the dances you dance, the class you teach......or whatever it is that your little heart longs to do.

<3

I know you will be great!

Spur of the moment memories....

I like to plan, yes...I know- normally it goes NOTHING like I plan it, but I still like to try. Yesterday we took our time waking up and getting dressed. By the time we all had our showers, etc. it was nearing 1:00 in the afternoon. Halie and I were bored, so we decided we would straighten her hair. She is ALWAYS begging me to, but I rarely give in because I love her curls so much. That curly hair matches her witty and unique personality.


What do we get when we straighten her hair? THIS vvvvvvvvv a completely different little lady- well, she looks different anyway. :)

So....spur of the moment, we decided we were going to do a fun little photoshoot, so I can begin filling the picture frames on our walls with pictures that are not 3 or more years old.

Only, as soon as we stepped out the door- it started to sprinkle. We both decided that it would be ok- we would just have to hurry....and she reminded me that neither of us are made of sugar (you didn't know?) and we won't melt. 

One of the things I love about Halie is her love of books. She is a reader and a very good one at that. It makes my heart smile to see her love it so much, because I am a reader. I love to read, I love to write, I love English, I love letters lol....you get it. So, it makes me happy that she has one of the same loves as me. 

Look at that smile. I am telling you, if a smile could ever really brighten a room- it would be this one. Halie, you have such a genuine smile. I love, love, love it when you SMILE. I hope you know the power of a smile, and how much better it can make your days...and others too!

I had to take this picture, because all I could think about while you were climbing up there was "Oh my goodness, the places these perfect little feet are going to take my little girl." You are in control of where you go. Your heart will want your feet to take you places and your head will scream NO! and there will be times that in your mind you will feel you should take a certain path, but your heart tells you no. Always listen to both and weigh your options. You don't have to hurry- wherever you go. Take your time, stop and take in the view and enjoy EVERY moment, because they are so precious- and once they are gone...they never come back.

The world is yours. You are beyond capable of anything your heart desires. I am beyond proud of the little lady you are and the young woman you are becoming. I love you!

Mommy/Daughter moment with E

A couple of weeks ago E and I had the opportunity to have a "Mommy/Daughter minute!" We had a blast, walked from our house to the park and stopped along the way to take a few pictures in between.

It's funny how things change when you have multiple kids, but you don't even realize it much. It was so nice and refreshing to get to spend some 1 on 1 time with E!


On our walk we held hands, giggled SO much more than I have in a long time. We just overall had so much fun, doing something so simple. I <3 this little girl so much!

To my Sweet Pea E, a photo journal of our little walk:

I watched as you so innocently made wishes- You aren't just a wisher, you are a close your eyes tight, blow with all your might, you can tell it's in your heart wisher. You have such a beautiful little soul. You always amaze me with how passionate you are.

Your tutu went from a Princess dress.....

....to a parachute......

......to a superhero cape......

You have such a big imagination and you let it run wild, without hesitation. That is one of the things I love most about you. I hope you never lose that.

When you giggle- it is contagious. It never fails...when you start laughing I can't help but to laugh right along with you. You are so silly, 99% of the time. I hope that when you grow up and start to face the world that you can ALWAYS remember how valuable laughter is. If you ever need someone to laugh with, or if you feel like you want to cry- come to me! I will always laugh with you!

I love this picture so much, because it just radiates "E!" This is exactly who you are. Everything that this picture alludes, screams E! :) I am always so proud of who you are. You are sweet, fun, graceful, and beautiful...inside and out.

I love you so much and I am never let down by who you are. I never will be. You make me very, very proud.

Remember who you are, continue to be a close your eyes tight, blow with all your might, you can tell it's in your heart wisher, and always remember to use your imagination and I know you will take this life SO far and on so many wonderful adventures!

<3

Fearfully and wonderfully made

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
Psalm 139:14


Last night, H and I went to Walmart for some very last minute project supplies. I didn't even take two seconds to look at what she was wearing...until we were in the middle of the store. I couldn't help but chuckle as I realized she had on her school capris, and boots with just a peek of her knees showing. She looked silly, which is totally fine. We all look silly a lot of times!!!

I brought it to her attention that she should probably stray away from wearing boots and capris in the future, then I quickly wanted to take back my statement in fear that she may become self conscious for the remainder of our shopping trip. Boy, was I wrong.

This awkward 8 (almost 9) year old little girl had just taught me a lesson that I have failed to learn...or better yet, practice in my 26 years.

"Who cares? I like my boots, I like my pants, I don't see a problem...if someone else does, who cares? THEY are not wearing it, I am and I'm fine with it."

Proud Mommy moment! :)

So many times, we worry about what other people think. We let other people's opinions limit our choices and our capabilities. H was right! Who cares!?!

Through your entire life, people will point, stare, comment, belittle and pick you apart. It's just the way our cruel world has become. NEVER let it limit you, or what you can accomplish. God doesn't make mistakes. He made you, his masterpiece...curly hair, too many freckles to count, monkey toes and all!!! He has a plan. He knows you greater than the mislead people that try to break you!

Every morning from this point on, I will wake up, greet the morning and say "bring it on world!" Sometimes it's tough to remember how great you are in the middle of chaos, but if you ever start to forget:

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart"
Jeremiah 1:5

Thank you my beautiful, wise, awkward 8 (almost 9 ;)) year old for reminding me of a valuable lesson that I failed to pick up on many years ago.

I love you!

Little moments

One day, I will wake up when I want to, not when someone else is hungry. I will not have to fight for the remote when I want to watch something. I will jam in my car to Maroon 5, instead of Justin Bieber. I will not trip on a toy, slip and stump my toe in the dark on the way to the bathroom. I will long to hear the sweet laughter that once made me wish for a moment of peace and quiet....and I will definitely not be fishing stacking cups out of dog dishes.

So, tonight- I am going to dry these bowls off, giggle when I stump my toe on the way to the bathroom, sit while they sleep soundly and thank God that tomorrow I get to hear the giggles and cries too....and record each memory for the days that will come far too soon when they are all I have left of the sweet innocence that once filled our home.

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Rear view beauties

As adults, we spend a lot of time looking back, wondering about the paths we took and the what ifs. For a long time, I struggled with many of my "rear view" decisions. Now, when I look in my rear view mirror- all I see are 3 beautiful faces. No doubt, no regret, no wrestling what ifs....just 3 beautiful faces.

In life, we face a lot of things that lead us to make decisions, that then lead us down a path. Sometimes it's good and full of sunny days, happiness and laughter, but eventually we all come across a path that is gloomy and filled with moments that make us feel ready to give up, like nothing is working.

When you get to your path that tries to tear you down and defeat you, remember how loved you are, by me and Dad, but even more by God.

Though it's hard at that moment, maybe even for much longer than you anticipate- always remember that every path eventually comes to an end. It may be miles, or just around the corner. If you give up- you will never know how close you were.

One day- instead of looking in your rear view mirror and seeing struggles and heartache- you will glance into it and you won't be able to control your smile...because all you will see are rear view beauties. Whether they be a relationship, your self image that you've battled with, your career, your education...or in my case, 3 beautiful faces.

Pray hard, love without limits (don't forget to love yourself) and seize each moment. Before you know it- your rear view mirror will be one of your favorite views.

Oh the places you will go...

"Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the gal who'll decide where to go."

To my three sweet ladies....I am starting this blog to keep a journal of all of our sweet memories together. Whether it be the silly, sweet or innocent things you say, our adventures together, or a beautiful picture that my camera steals from the day. 

You are my heart and soul.  I have no doubt of the places you will go.  As you grow, there will be happy times and sad times, serious times and silly times, times when you feel you just want to be alone and times you wish you had a hand to hold.  When those days come, I want you to look back on this journal of our simple, crazy, beautiful, not so ordinary life....the treasure that we share together. 

No matter what, always remember:

Mommy loves you more than chocolate (yes, it's true!) ;)
Near or far, I am ALWAYS thinking of you!

Sisters are God's greatest gift to you!
Daddy is ALWAYS only a call away.
You are BEAUTIFUL!
You are INTELLIGENT!
Your heart is filled with kindness and compassion.

There is NO journey or battle too hard with God on your side.

When you are ready to give up- DON'T....the best is yet to come.

You can be ANYTHING you want to be!  Princess, Pro-soccer player, Dancer, Lawyer, Teacher, Mommy, Writer....the possibilities are endless!