{Say Hi to Me}

This weekend I went from Ma-ma to Mam-me.  And I love it!

N and I tagged along with my brother Matt and my sister Carrie as they went back-to-school shopping with my mom.  N loves anything that resembles a purse and no matter what store I go into she always finds something that becomes her “purse”.   Examples include: a sewing basket at JoAnn’s Fabric Store; a reusable book tote at Barnes and Noble; a name tag holder/pouch for conference attendees. . . and a backpack at Office Depot.

The moment we walked into Office Depot I knew exactly what item we would be also walking out with.  What made me so smart?  I suppose it had nothing to do with the fact that this “something” was small and pink, resembled a purse, on sale and the persons involved were N and my mom and my sister Carrie {wink wink}.  It was terribly cute just sitting there among all the bigger backpacks.  The whole scene took only about 30 seconds before a sale was made.  All it took was Carrie’s discovery, her big reveal to N, N’s instant approval and my mom witnessing it all.  A miniature three-ring binder and a pencil pouch was also added to enhance the cuteness.

N wore the backpack proudly through the store.  It did take me back a bit seeing my baby wearing a backpack like that.  It made my heart take a quick dive to the bottom of my stomach because in an instant I was flashed forward several years.  I had to remind myself that I will cross that road when it comes but for now I am glad that I still get to enjoy my baby at home with me. I know it is just a backpack but that little accessory holds so much symbolism that it is still hard to overlook it every time she wears it around the house.

It does not matter whether I am in school or not, the feeling and the emotions I experience this time of year has remained the same ever since I was old enough to make sense of the calendar.  I LOVE summer and back-to-school ads remind me that the season of summer is nearing its end.  I love the sight of kids running around playgrounds and beaches, accompanying busy moms on their errands to the store.  With kids back in school the world just doesn’t seem quite as happy.  Summer to me is synonymous with family time—quality family time.  Minds are free of homework and strict schedules and fun and laughter is at an all time high.  I love summer vacation.

Although N will soon be two and no where near school age I do have a student going back to school.  Matt starts his second year of grad school this Thursday.  I am sure that it is this reality that makes the “back-to-school” feeling so intense this year than it has been the past several years since I have been out of school.  I am glad that he has had the past couple months to recharge his batteries.  Not only has it been great for Matt it has been good for N and I to have him back.  I am happy and proud to say that we made the best of our summer together.  It has given us the quality family time we needed to make it through the last year of grad school. With life getting a bit more complicated this Thursday we know what we have to do all the while still enjoying life and each other.

I am so thankful that we were able to go to Houston with Matt for the weekend. It is not very often we get to travel with him so when we do we make a vacation out of it.  Whenever we visit a city that neither of us has been to the memories made are extra special.

[View with PicLens]

An extra special memory  made was going to the children’s museum with N the first day we got there.  It was so enjoyable as a parent to see your child have so much fun.  Nothing was off limits to touch or play with. So much fun.

Yes—it was happening, right there on the bathroom floor of La Grande Orange. Two months before our second birthday.  There was nothing I could do to remedy this situation.  She had to work it out on her own and I had to let it roll off my shoulders, chuckle and make sure to take pictures to show N in the future.

How and why the bathroom you ask?  It was the only place where such a fit could of really taken place when it is in a public restaurant and 115 degrees outside.  Luckily it is not the only bathroom at LGO because we were in there for at least 20 minutes.  She ended up falling asleep on the bathroom floor.  I tried to pick her up but woke up thrashing about.

{before you judge, this photograph makes the floors look way more creepy than they actually are in person}

We escaped the restaurant through the back door to a shaded sidewalk where she finished the last moments of her tantrum before I had had enough of trying to negotiate a peace treaty.  My final words to N before I decided I would walk slowly to my car was, “N just be careful of the bugs and the bees because Mommy…”  And before I could finish my warning she was up and running towards me with open arms and tears streaming down her face.

I gave her a big hug and told her I loved her.  It was good to have my baby back!

Bloom where you are planted.

~St. Francis de Sales

Being on vacation, away from my daily life, life moves a little slower…

These are the things I have been thinking about…

These are the things I want to do when I get home…

• collect a few lemon juicers and cake platters (especially in jadeite, and in milk and depression glass)
• spend several days canning the colors of the rainbow (plums, pickles, peaches, blackberries, salsa, marinara sauce, endless possibilities)
• collect vintage white table linens for entertaining.
• make my own seersucker napkins for summer picnics with built in pockets for silverware.
• make a maternity apron.
• make a white paper butterfly chandelier for N’s room.
• plant an herb garden.
• arrange N’s baby book before our new baby girl gets here.
• buy supplements: hemp, rice, pea and chia protein powder and acai/pomegranate frozen packets to make the ever so trendy acai bowls at home and calcium/magnesium capsules to keep mommy’s and baby’s bones nice and strong.
• make a trip to the Container Store to buy some “containers” to organize Matt and I’s studio and N’s craft supplies.

(gosh it sounds like have been channeling Martha Stewart for the past several weeks while being on vacation.)

Covecrest is a very special place.  N is a very special girl.  Together they multiply in specialness!  N loved every moment at camp. . .

early morning cinnamon rolls. . .

the Covecrest playground. . .

making bead bracelets on Mike’s Place front porch. . .

playing with locks and keys, playing with keys and locks {special emphasis is placed here}. . .

cooling off in the mini waterfall before the big kids begin to playing in the mud pit. . .

big kid playing in the mud pit. . .

with so much activity day time naps are a must. . .

Covecrest Family, you have given the Smith Family another special week to relive throughout the year.