A day for white.

The other weekend, we woke up to a snow covered Seattle.
A brief winter wonderland.
A day of white.
Which was quite fitting as it was also Madeleine's Baptism day.

Somebody was pretty excited about her day...

 

 

And after a close call of not actually making it to the church on time when the car wouldn't make it up the hill (thank goodness for Uncle Z meeting at our house...we all piled in his car, sans car seats and all. Another thank goodness in that the church is about 5 blocks from our house)....the day was absolutely lovely.

 

Such a special dedication and blessing for our girl. A welcoming into our community of faith. A celebration with family.

 

 

 

The day was made even more special by the fact that she got to wear the baptismal gown that my dad, and I'm fairly certain most of his siblings wore for theirs.

He was with us...and I love the comfort that comes with that.

 

Loving on her baby cousin who appears not so sure about this little person all up in her business...

 

A beautiful day indeed.



Tiny dancer.

A few weeks ago it was "Watch Week".

And while I realize that name sounds a bit...creepy? It was anything but.

"Watch Week" is the week the parents get to watch their tiny dancers do their thing.

Normally, there are only quick glimpses into the hour they spend each week twirling and passé kicking and first positioning.

Strained eyes peer through the sheer curtains on the dance floor doors at an attempt to watch little girls growing, and blooming and dancing. But the doors close, and as much as I want to...I don't want to be that mom who stands peering the entire class.

And so I back away.

Aaaaaaand if I'm honest, go run a few errands during that hour sometimes...

 

But "Watch Week" is something else.

 

Since they are still too little to have an official recital, THIS is their recital. A showcase of all they have learned.

And it really was something else. The way these teachers get these littles' attention and focus is admirable to say the least.

Each of these tiny dancers was so proud to show of what they had learned to their parents.

 

Who knows if ballet or dancing is something that will stick with Charlotte long term...but right now, she is loving it. And watching her might be one of my favorite things in the world.

 

 

Feeling a bit nervous...

 

Perhaps my favorite picture of the day. She was mesmerized by everything her teacher had to say...

 

Dance your heart out baby. Always and always.



My girls.

 

It's 5:30 a.m. as I sit at the computer to write. Coffee in hand (well, beside the keyboard), house quiet, a moment to reflect.

It seems the early morning moments are about the only time to do that these days.

And that's okay.

I like to think of my life sometimes in seasons. Ever changing and evolving...and the season we are in right now is just not one of leisure and spare time.

This is the season of motherhood.

Of playing and planning and crafting.

Of peek-a-boo, reading and make believe.

Of lack of sleep, lack of knowledge, of doubt in my abilities.

Of comforting, snuggling and being present.

 

This season of time with my little girls is precious. It is fleeting. So when there are days that seems long, I remind myself that this season is so short.

These are, without a doubt, the most challenging and rewarding days of my life.

 

 

My Madeleine

While I've probably said it at every age along the way (except for 3...sorry 3)- I LOVE this age! This 12-18 month window is so magical with it's new discoveries every day. And it is made even more magical by this sweet spirited girl.
She is a lover.
A hugger.
My even keel dove.

 

 

She is so in love with her big sister and wants to do anything and everything she does. Which is part of what I think makes her so fearless. She is a go-getter.

 

She has this toothy grin right now and when she smiles...she smiles with her whole body. Face scrunched, eyes squinted, smiling from ear to ear.

 

My baby girl... you make me so very happy. I am the luckiest to get to be your mama.

 

My Charlotte

 

Oh Miss Charlotte...

My independent, opinionated, sensitive girl. You are my sugar and spice (though you still argue that you are just sugar, I'm pretty sure we can all agree there is a healthy portion of spice in you).

You keep me on my toes.

One thing I continue to learn through this parenting journey is that I most certainly don't have all the answers. I wish I did, because I want to be honest here in this space...

We are having some rough times right now.

 

There I said it.

 

While it is easy to admit to your mom and your best friends the struggles you have as a parent sometimes, it's harder to write it down as documented proof. That internal mommy guilt creeps up  to say, "Don't write that! You know how good you have it?!"

 

And I do know that! There are days and moments that go off without a hitch and you think, "Yep- I've got this, smooth sailing here folks"... and then BAM! You go and cut her grilled cheese the wrong way and all hell brakes loose.

 

So these are our challenges these days. Extreme highs and lows. Questioning of our parenting skills, books being purchased on how to better guide her through life as she finds her way ... it's tough stuff sometimes.

But then...

She holds your face in her hands and tells you that she just loves you all the way.

She reads her first book on her own.

She snuggles in bed with you, curled up just so....and all the struggles seem to be forgotten.

 

And that's one pretty awesome thing about being a parent...there are like a million chances a day for fresh starts.

 

I like that a lot.

My big girl... you make me so happy. I am the luckiest to be your mama. 

 

Soooo...it's February...

...which means it's no longer January.

 

Not exactly sure how that happened??

I always kind of dread January, while at the same time look forward to it. Give and take.

The holiday let down can sometimes be a bit of a downer, but this year I was ready to move forward.

Ready to start fresh. Attempt to simplify (notice I wrote attempt). New goals. New year.

 

So while we were busy living life, I didn't do my best at documenting that life in this little corner of the interwebs. It was a nice break, but I do so love this diary of ours.

 

And so, our January:

-we parked

-we snuggled

-we showered baby cousins

-we played with Teta

-we got in a car accident (yes it was my fault. yes everyone is fine. yes I feel like an idiot)

-we daytime movied it up

-we busted out some tunes

 

-we jumped like monkeys

-we laughed at sister

-we cheered on the Seahawks!

-we fell asleep while dining

-we most definitely didn't fall asleep while dining and instead celebrated and ate WAY too many dumplings

-we ran in the rain

-we played with uncles

-we played with legos

 

 

-we read with Grammie

-we experienced the aquarium

-we experienced our first (and hopefully not last!) Beers of the World party

-we bathed (thank goodness for that right?!)

-we zoo'd it up with PEPster friends

-we had Field Trip dates with daddy

 

 

-we cheered on the Hawks some more...all the way to the SUPER BOWL BABY!!

-we watched some boot legged 'Frozen'

-we ran out of oil heat

-we got some more oil heat

-we got pre-school pictures back in disbelief that our girl is getting so big!

-we cleansed

-we ran some more

-we napped...in strollers, in mommy and daddy's bed, in cars

-we celebrated birthdays

-we Fan Fested for the Mariners

-we prepared for Madeleine's baptism and jumped for joy in learning that my dad's baptism gown fits her

-we (ehem, I) felt very sad at the prospect that my beloved blankie's days may be numbered

-we were the participants of a Charlotte photo shoot

-we laughed, and laughed and laughed some more. 

It was a good month. A great start to our year.

{minus that whole car issue...}

 

Welcome February!