Heartwarming Hug

Last night when giving my ten year old daughter her goodnight kiss and hug she whispered in my ear: "I don't want to let go, because you always make every situation better." 

Yes, those are her exact words--she is a little precocious, but very endearing...warmed my heart.   

BONDING

Say a little prayer for my Brownie troop, everyone. We will be going on our very first camping trip tomorrow. The weather today is a gorgeous and sunny 66 degrees. The forecast for tomorrow is wet and rainy with a chance of SNOW...temperatures in the 40s.

My Brownie: "Who is riding to the camp grounds with us?"
Me: "Well, Denise and Madelyn might as well ride with us."
My Brownie: "It will be a good bonding experience."
Me: "Oh, you mean with you and Madelyn or Me and Denise?"
My Brownie: "No,Mom... me and you."

My little toes may be cold, but my heart is warmed!

JUST WHEN YOU THINK YOU KNOW THEM....

Teenagers...kids...our kids...never cease to amaze me. Eighteen is such a precarious age. One minute you are an independent woman ready to conquer the world. The next minute you are slamming your door, because your parents are totally clueless and get on your last nerve. Blink, and you are way advanced beyond your years with a deep appreciation for your parents.

I love that I just saw on our senior daughter's FB page Jerilyn became a fan of I LOVE MY DAD FOR EVERYTHING HE HAS DONE.

It's the little things in life that bring me joy.

YOUNG AUTHORS

Spent a wonderful night celebrating over four hundred YOUNG AUTHORS in our school district. I am very proud of each and every author who took the initative to write their thoughts down on paper and "publish" a book. That takes guts.

Jae, our eight-year-old, diligently worked on her book entitled MY BOOK OF NOT SO TRUE FAIRY TALES. Her book had four chapters with 22 pages. Obviously I think she is a talented writer. Her words really flow on the page. All her TALES were wonderful, but here is an excerpt from my favorite page:

I dedicate this book to my funny and sensitive brother Jerremy for being there when I need him. Big brother is away at college studying journalism.

He is our oldest---months away from 21(Yikes!)--and she is our youngest. Although they are 12 years apart, they are always close in their hearts. I LOVE THAT!

LAUREN'S STORY

A while back, I asked for a Lauren story. Lauren is Isaac and Julia's 7-year-old sister. Mommy said Lauren had not been crazy or funny lately. However, it dawned on Mommy that sweet stories described Lauren better, because that's who she is...a little sweetheart who always wants people to be happy. She always gives lots of hugs and kisses and makes Mommy love notes. Yesterday, she put a note on Mommy's bed and then said, "There's a note on your bed, and I don't know who it's from." The note said: MOMMY, I LOVE YOU. LOVE, ?

So, without further adieu, here's Mom's LAUREN STORY with a little background:

I always sing "Lauren's song" to her at bedtime, which is a song I made up by changing the words of a different song. You may have heard it... It's "Molly's Song". I made it Mommy instead of Daddy, etc...

A few days ago, I was running around like a crazy woman and Lauren was following me around with this piece of ribbon. She kept asking me to stop, but I was busy . . . Finally, I said "Lauren, what do you need?" She tied the ribbon around my waist and said, "I'm tying a ribbon around your heart". Of course, I stopped and gave her a big hug! :)

Here is "Lauren's Song":

Mommy's little girl paints the world with her magic wand.
Mommy's little child breathes new life to the morning time for me.
When we're apart, her thoughts follow me.



Mommy's little girl ties a ribbon around my heart.
Mommy's little child waves goodbye to the ocean tide that sweeps me.
When we're apart, she's a part of me.



When I come home, Lauren smiles with the dawn.
Lauren smiles, and she radiates the glow around her halo.
When she plays, Lauren smiles.
On a summer day, Lauren smiles.
A new day, Lauren smiles.

Nothing's wrong when Lauren smiles.

KIND OF FREAKS ME OUT!

Had lunch today with some friends +1. Julia is a joyous and talkative three year old. Our lunch conversation included our kids, Dora the Explorer, husbands, work and our favorite snack chips. When lunch was over, we said our goodbyes and carried on with our day. Later in the afternoon Julia's mom called me.

It would seem that Julia got back in the car and said, "Mommy, I love Ms. Michele and Ms. Mallory." At this point Mommy is feeling all warm and fuzzy inside thinking her baby loves and adores her friends just like she does. Julia then goes on to say, "I love them because they speak English and not Spanish. Spanish kinda freaks me out!"

Blogger's Note: Julia does not know any Spanish speaking people and she LOVES Dora the Explorer--as was evidenced in her Dora Crocs and lunchbox. That's why I love the mind of a three year old!

FATHERS BE GOOD TO YOUR DAUGHTERS

So.....I'm sitting here watching VH1 STORYTELLERS. John Mayer is singing his songs acoustically and telling where they came from. I never really considered myself to be a John Mayer fan, but I LOVE this song. Have you ever heard it? The lyrics basically say: Fathers be good to your daughters. Daughters will love like you do. Girls become lovers, who turn into mothers. So mothers be good to your daughters, too.

He said this song was written when he desperately loved a girl that couldn't trust him enough to love him back. Turns out her trust issues stemmed from an unstable relationship with her father.

I just wanted to thank my girls' Dad, because above all he loves his girls---and tells them often. He is at their dance competitions....soccer games...baptisms...confirmation...softball games...Father Daughter Bowling...Easter egg hunts... Bowling...supper ...breakfast...lunch...recitals...Saturday afternoons...Prom...Coronation...college road trips...Scrabble games...vacations...bedtime stories...decorating the Christmas tree...making Christmas cookies...

My girls and I are lucky to have him.

KISSING AND STUFF

Here's a story fresh off the phone lines from my friend Jen. I love the fact that she prefaced her story with I don't know if it's blog worthy, but...

Her first-grade son read a bed time story about a prince. One of the comprehension questions at the back of the book was the following: WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE A PRINCE? WHY OR WHY NOT? So..here is their conversation:


Jen: Would you like to be a prince?
Aiden: No
Jen: Why?
Aiden: A prince has to do all that kissing and stuff....and Mama, I'm just not that romantic.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE....LOVE (AND MANNERS) IS ALL YOU NEED

When a baby is born, Mommy and Daddy count fingers and toes, listen to the APGAR score, swaddle/swaddle/swaddle, and then they wait..... wait to hear the first amazing words come out of those sweet lips.

Will it be "Mama"? Will it be "Dada"? That's really what they want to know. What word will be recorded in the baby book next to first word? With every "goo" and "ga" they check with each other to see if they really heard what they thought they did.

As time goes by and Baby grows, Mommy and Daddy wait to hear those three precious words---I LOVE YOU! Sometimes when that historic moment comes, it's not all it was cracked up to be.

Little Ms. Julia is the perfect example.

Daddy: I love you, Julia.
Julia: I love you too, Daddy.
Mommy: I love you, Julia.
Julia: Thank you.

How Do You Know When It's Love?

There are many ways to tell if someone loves you, but sometimes we just miss the signs. It could be a little love note, a hug, a kiss, a fountain SPRITE brought home to you unexpectedly......You just have to look for the signs.

5-year-old Carter explained to his mom why she should never doubt his love: "You know I love you, because I always mention it to you."
That's love.