It's beginning to look a lot like winter...

Last night it was a cold night. Bella crawled up onto my bed so we could read some books before going to sleep. The dog had been laying right where she wanted to sit so of course, the dog got kicked out and moped off to find another place to curl up. Bella noticed that the bed was nice and warm where Zaidy had been laying. She jumped right under the covers and yelled, "Mmm mmm...warm and cuddly, here I come!"

I know it's been a while since I last wrote, but the laugh out loud moments are still an every day occurrence. I'll try to be better about sharing them again.

Coming soon...

I know I've been slacking lately, but it's summer time! We've been having too much fun. Stay tuned...

Like Mother, Like Daughter

I can hear Bella in the next room playing with her friend. They are searching for treasures and playing dress up. I peek out and her friend has on some sunglasses and a hat and he says "I am going to be the mailman." As Bella puts on some fancy shoes with feathers on them, she replies "I am going to be Shoe Girl!"

That's my girl.

Letter to My Newest Friend

Dear Baby Dylan
Welcome to the world! It is an amazing place and I am so happy that you are here to learn and explore and enjoy what life has to offer.

I have known your mommy since I was a little girl and let me tell you, you are one lucky little boy. I can honestly say that she is the most caring and generous person I know. She is quick to lend her heart and a hand to anyone who needs it. She is the life of the party. Her laugh is contagious and if you are anything like her, you’ll be doing a lot of laughing. She is happiest when she is with her friends and family, so make sure you are good to her. She will love you unconditionally and forever.

Life can be a lot of fun, but can also be very difficult at times. Just remember this. Life’s biggest challenges bring the greatest rewards. The poet Ralph Waldo Emerson once said “ Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”  There is nothing you can’t do or achieve. The world is yours for the taking, make the best of everything it has to offer you.

You were born at a great time in history. Today, more than ever before, people around the world are  learning  to celebrate our differences. We are all unique individuals with something special to offer. You are your own person with your own purpose. You will find your place in the world and you will make a difference. Of that, I am sure.

I know that you will bring so much joy to everyone around you and that you will be loved more than you ever thought possible.  So again, welcome to the world little one... I can’t wait to meet you.

Love, Tasha

Car Talk

Today after running some errands, I was unpacking the car and Bella was still sitting in her car seat. I made 2 or 3 trips in to the house and she was still sitting there when everything was unloaded. I asked her, "What are you waiting for?" to which she replied, "Christmas."

Thank goodness she didn't pick up some of the worse things I say while stuck behind slow drivers!

Enjoy the Ride

I am a night owl. Love to stay up late. Mornings...not so much. 10 years ago I liked to stay up late, to stay OUT late, because that's when the fun happened. Meeting up with friends to party, talk, laugh until the wee hours of the morning. But things are different now. Now I like to stay up late for the quiet. Everyone is sleeping and it is peaceful at the end of the day. When I finally call it a night, I give my little girl a kiss and whisper in her ear, "I love you". She is sound asleep, dead to the world. Her energy completely drained from living each day to the fullest. She has not stopped thinking and learning (and taking!) since the moment she woke and tomorrow she'll do it all over again. I am in awe of her energy. Tonight, I too will go to bed completely exhausted, and in the morning I will wake way too early for my own good. But I don't mind. I don't want to miss a moment of it. Life is too short. There is too much to learn and see and do. 

Reminds me of one of my favorite James Taylor songs:

The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time
Any fool can do it
There aint nothing to it
Nobody knows how we got to
The top of the hill
But since were on our way down
We might as well enjoy the ride

Good night...and enjoy the ride.

Every Day is Mother's Day

Five years ago on Mother's Day, I was riding home from the hospital with my one-day-old daughter. I was excited and exhausted, overjoyed and overwhelmed, completely in love with my tiny beautiful baby and completely terrified, all at the same time. I'll never forget that day.

Yesterday, we celebrated Bella's 5th birthday, surrounded by friends. When the party was over, she and I sat outside eating just one more piece of cake and enjoying the last minutes of the warm sun. I watched as she played with all her new toys, her face filled with joy. It was a great day.

Today it is Mother's Day once again and I am thankful for my own mother - who supports me in everything I do and is always there for me. I know now how hard it was for her to raise my sister and I. And I know now that the love between a mother and her child is never ending.

And I am thankful for my mother-in-laws, who treat me like their own daughter and for the rest of my family and my family-in-law, who I also love very much.

I am in awe of all of my girlfriends who have become amazing mothers. We share a special bond now. All of motherhood's ups and downs make us stronger and wiser and better human beings. We laugh together, cry together, share advice and stories. We survive the tough days with a spur of the moment play date, or plan a girls night out to regain our momentum. We support each other because we know how important our jobs as mothers are. All of you have inspired me more than you know, and for that I thank you.

I am blessed with a husband who loves me for who I am, and tells me so every day. He is a wonderful father and it shows. My favorite moment of the day is when he walks in from work and I hear, "Daddy!" and the sounds of little feet running to the door. Thank you Daddy for all that you do.

Not a day goes by that I don't know just how lucky I am. My daughter has taught me more about life in the past 5 years, than I have learned in my almost 40. By stopping to see the bright green grass growing in a crack in the sidewalk, or wiping away my tears when I lost a loved one. She gets it. Not because she doesn't yet know the evils of the world, but because she chooses to see the good. She is funny, charming, and she knows that unconditional love is the best thing life has to offer - and when we adults forget that, she is quick to remind us. And it works every time.

So thank you my families, my friends, my husband and my beautiful daughter. Thank you for making me the mother and woman that I am today. I couldn't do any of it without you.

Happy Mother's Day.

Rules are Rules

I guess she'll never be Miss America now...

A Rainy Friday Dress Up Party

"Mommy, where's my other go-go boot?"

Now there's something you don't hear every day.

Great Minds Think Alike

 We just got home from a 1st birthday celebration. Good friends, good food,  kids running wild,  lots of giggles, presents and birthday cake. As I tucked Bella into bed she said, " Mommy, will you snuggle with  me a while?". So I laid down in bed next to her and we turned on the stars (a little turtle we have that lights up and shines stars onto the ceiling).  Pretty soon her breath slowed and I felt her body start to relax in my arms. She  was gazing at the stars above, her eyelids getting heavy. I asked her what she was  thinking about. In just a whisper she replied, "I'm thinking about love." A few moments later she was sound asleep.

Funny, I was thinking the same thing.