pictures from mother's day

My wonderful Auntie E (Aunt Amy) took some beautiful pictures on mother's day- she is an excellent photographer.  Here are a couple to share- it was a beautiful day in my mom and dad's backyard- Leif and I felt so lucky to be able to spend the day with both of our moms (and my nanie!!! and of course, the men, my auntie e, cousin mikey- basically we were lucky to have such wonderful company)  :)

I swear, the men did not drink all of that wine.... ;)

Baby Carly is HOME!

Just a quick note for those who know about our friends Nikki & Francis.  Nikki had their daughter  Carly at 32 weeks- Carly picked her own birthday for sure.  She's been in the NICU since she was born on 4/20- strong and determined as can be.  Today little Miss Carly headed home!!! :)  She's beautiful and we're so happy for Nikki and Francis! :)

Leif and I in the midst of moving- we're slated to be in our new place next weekend!!  We promise to post pictures and more Abby stories and videos as soon as things have calmed down and we're settled. :)

Sending love to all!!!

A Mother's Day Promise

This mother's day I have a year of motherhood under my belt.  Motherhood has been such an amazing journey- the surprises (like just how many outfits an infant can require for a day), the triumphs (Abby's first night sleeping through the night), the highs (the peace and comfort of a sleeping baby on your chest), the lows (spit up all over the outfits of mama and baby on a morning where we're already running 10 minutes late)- I have experienced so much in my 13 months of motherhood.  For mother's day this year, I wanted to write some promises to my dear daughter.

As your mommy, Abby, I promise:

1) I will never stop loving you.  No matter how naughty you've been, how frustrating a situation can be, or how heart-broken I can feel, I promise to never, not even for a second, stop loving you with all of my heart.  There is nothing that you could do to change that.

2) I will always believe in you and everything that you do and want to be.  Please never mistake my questioning for not believing- I just want to know more.

3) You will always be my baby.

4) No matter how big you've grown, there will always be a spot on my lap for you.

5) I will at some point tell a story about you that will embarrass you.  Please know that I know not what I do- I just love you so much- and I think that everything you do is note-worthy.

6) I will fight for you.  The love of a mother is fierce and burning.  I will fight with every inch of my being for you.

7) I will always make time to smell the flowers.  Though parenthood is unbelievably hectic at times, I promise to always take time to smell the flowers with you, to go for an evening stroll, spend a little extra time on the beach, camp a little longer in the tent, and be accountable to you.

8) I will try to not give you the reason, "because I said so".

9) You are beautiful- inside and out- and I will remind you of this beauty all the time- especially when you're a teenager.

10) I will take you traveling.  There is so much to see in the world- and I want to experience it and expand with you and your daddy.  We'll be a group of traveling fools together.  ;)

11) I will try to instill in you the most precious values that I know- gratitude, acceptance, strength, confidence, love, good faith, and patience.

12) I will always tell you I love you- even in front of your friends.  This may embarrass you at times but in the end, love gets us through it all- and there is no sentence more beautiful and reassuring than "I love you".

13) I will teach you my life essentials- how to do your laundry, wash the dishes, cook spaghetti, grow a plant from seed, sew a button back on, start and maintain a campfire (and assemble a tent), and how to laugh at yourself.

14) I will try to let you own just about any pet that you want- we'll have to discuss guinea pigs though- I just don't get them.

15) I will be there when you experience your first heart break.  Your grammy rocked me through the tears of mine, and I'll do the same for you.

16) I will teach you how to give.  I will do everything in my power to show you how to care for your fellow being.  What you put in to the world is returned to you ten-fold.

17) I will listen to you.  I will put down what I'm doing and actively engage in your conversation- I will try with all of my might to do this every time you want to tell me something.  Your words are important.

You and your daddy are oh so precious to me and I couldn't be happier to be your mom, Abigail Ann.  Thank you for making me a mother.  :)

I would also like to wish all of the mothers in my life a very happy mother's day- especially Leif and my moms- we couldn't do this without the two of you and we don't tell you that enough.  We love you both dearly and can't wait to celebrate mother's day with you! :)  xoxoxox

Abby's daycare put on a mother's day show on Friday.  This is one of a million reasons why we love this daycare center- their adorable shows that gather all of the parents together.  Abby's classroom had the theme "You are my sunshine."  All of the kids were dressed in painted onesies that read "You are my sunshine", they were strolled out to the song, and their stroller was decorated with clouds and suns.  They made lovely hand bouquets for us and poems with handprints as well.  It was so touching and our teachers did such a sweet job of making us moms feel loved and cherished.  It was particularly comical to see the difference that couple of months have made.  At the daycare's holiday show, Abby was quite content to sit on our laps and watch the rest of the classrooms perform.  This time around, I was sitting in a corner with a couple other moms from my classroom and all of our kids wanted to get down and walk around (and get in to everything!)  There was much squirming this time around.  We all laughed at the scene.

Here is a little video from the show- unfortunately Abby was sitting on the other side of the stroller so you can't see her but you get the picture. :)

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10100287486581491

Sending lots of love!

Running runs in her family...

This week Abby has learned how to run.  She must be feeling quite confident on her feet because boy can she run!  She runs around and around and around the apartment with the biggest grin on her darling face.  Track does run in her family- my dad and I both ran track.  I used to race my dad but have never beat him- not even once.  Looks like I need to pick running back up so I can do the same to Abby...  ;)

Spontaneous Magic

I am a fan of spontaneous adventures- in fact, they are one of my favorite things in the world- and I feel so fortunate that my husband and daughter share an enthusiasm for such adventuring.  :)

This weekend, Mandy's boss (and my former boss) Amy offered to let Mandy, Matt, Leif, Abby and I stay at her cottage in Eastham, MA (GORGEOUS CAPE COD!)  Her cottage, rightfully nicknamed the Magic Cottage, is exactly what we all needed.  Leif, Abby, and I headed down to the cottage Saturday to spend the night.  We arrived with just a hint of sunlight left to the day and were welcomed by Mandy and Matt (and their cat Rocco and lizard Bob Saget).  We spent the evening relaxing in the cozy cottage with a big home cooked meal and good company.  Abby had taken a late nap the entire drive down to the cottage so we knew that she would be up for a while that evening.  Around 10pm, we walked down to the Nauset Lighthouse and sat at its base.  We listened to the waves crash and watched the lighthouse light sweep through the trees in front of us.  Abby enjoyed the late evening stroll and we enjoyed the peace and quiet.  :)

Nauset Lighthouse- a stone's throw from Amy's cottage

Sunday morning we woke up (Abby let us sleep in until 8:30AM- her stipulation was that she share the bed with us- we happily complied), brewed some coffee, and packed it in a thermos for the beach- also a stone's throw from Amy's cottage.  We packed Abby's sand castle supplies and walked down to the water.  Us adults all drank a cup of coffee as Abby raked the sand and shoveled it on to her head.  ;)  

After we finished our coffees, we walked the beach for a while.  Mandy and I were feeling particularly adventurous and strolled through the FREEZING cold water:

Abby really loves the sand and water and did some beach strolling, shell seeking, and water watching of her own:

ok, ok- Abby didn't write this herself but she certainly approved of it... ;)

The Nauset Lighthouse beach is insanely beautiful- breath taking really.

After our beautiful morning on the beach we headed back to the cottage to enjoy the yard.  Amy has done a fabulous job of creating little magical sitting spaces amongst gardens.  She even has a hammock in the midst of some beautiful trees for ultimate relaxation.  Abby loved sitting in the yard and swinging on the hammock.  The girl just loves the outdoors.

We stayed the entire afternoon at Amy's cottage on Sunday and finally hit the road around 5PM- much to our chagrin.  Unfortunately during the ride home we hit horrible traffic due to construction on the Sagamore bridge (the way in and out of the cape) and our ride was extended by a good hour.  I only mention this because ordinarily Abby would sleep through the entire ride- but this time woke for the last hour of the trip and was ridiculously wonderful for the entire end of the ride- laughing, talking to herself, completely entertained.  We are so fortunate to have this bubbly, happy, easy-going, adventurous, glowing girl in our life.  Oh my- we're just feeling fortunate and blessed.  :)

Something should be said for Abby's dear Auntie Mandy too- who invited us along kid and all.  Abby's auntie is so so so in love with Miss Abby- it is so touching to watch.  Mandy and I have always been unusually close but to watch her with my daughter just fills me up with love.  She spoils her on so many levels and Abby just loves her dearly.  Thank you, Mandy (and Matt!) for including us in this wonderful Cape Cod adventure.  <3  

Adventurous Eater

We have an adventurous eater on our hands, folks!  I couldn't be more thrilled ;)

Last weekend Abby tried Latin cuisine for the first time and loved it.  She sampled just about everything from the plates of her mommy, daddy, and auntie.  She tried spicy pork, black beans, spanish rice, plantains, shrimp, and yuca.  She loved the black beans most of all- she couldn't get enough of them!  We were pleased that she didn't shy away from the hot spices of the pork too. :) 

Last night we took Abby to a local BBQ joint and she tried BBQ pulled chicken, corn bread, baked beans, green beans, and mac & cheese.  She loved it all and enjoyed the green beans so much that she took the cup of them away from me and snacked on them.  :)

At home she's been eating halibut, BBQ chicken, cajun spiced asparagus, and chicken bolognese.  It's so fun to watch her try and react to new foods.  She is an adventurous girl!  :)

Last weekend we stayed in a local hotel with a pool and unwound quite a bit- it was HEAVENLY.  Abby loved the pool- splashed around like mad, and made friends with all of the little girls- a couple of them even held her in the pool and Abby just loved it.  In the hotel room, the girl had her run of the mill- we put her food in pots and pans and let her pretend to cook and snack as she pleased.  It was so nice to have a weekend off from worrying about keeping up with chores!  The dishes could get dirty and we didn't need to clean them! :) ;)

She played 'til she dropped!  ;)