stronger

Do you ever look at your pictures and think, "Nobody is going to care about the parade we went to or the fireworks we saw." "Nobody's going to care that we had a friend over for play time." And so the vicious cycle begins. Never blogging, never journaling, constantly getting asked when I'm going to update. I'm tired of feeling the guilt. I want to blog because it makes me feel good, because maybe someday I'll actually print it out into a book for my children to read.

I resolve to only blog when I feel like it.

Some of my favorites from the 4th of July.

I forgot my camera the morning of the 4th. I was super ticked I didn't get proof of my 5k run. I ran in this same race when I was pregnant with Nora. Actually I shouldn't even say I ran it because I walked it and almost died. I think it was the only day of my entire pregnancy that I got sick. I kid you not when I say that I came into second to last place. OF EVERYONE. It was pathetic.

But this year, this year I've been training. This year I've become a runner. Something I never thought I would do. And I came in at 31:45. I know it's not the super greatest time. But I was proud. Really, really proud. I ran the whole time except for 5 seconds of it.

I always wondered how anyone could enjoy running. I would always say, "I can't run, I have asthma." When honestly I think I was just so out of shape. I probably have a tinge of asthma but it's nothing that I haven't been able to slowly work up to and start gaining a resistence toward it.

Now I crave it. I think about the next time I might be able to go running again. To feel my feet on the pavement, erase my thoughts, listen to some good tunes. It makes me feel strong. And I can't wait to run my next race. Can't wait to see if I can get a better time.

And so my obsession begins.

Nora loved the fireworks. She loved playing with cousins and friends. She has the best cousins on both sides of our families. Sweet girls that love to play with Nora and cute Logan that tries to wrestle her. I love my nieces, and nephew.

Holidays make me love having a kid even more. You get to enjoy everything as if you were a kid again. It makes me excited for Fall and the holidays. I'm not rushing summer though......that's for sure.

BFF's.....or are they?

Oh Olivia, we have so much fun playing together.

We're going to be best friends forever.

We'll always share everything well, and we'll never get into fights.

Wait, Olivia, this is my car. Do you mind if I hop on?

Thanks, you're my best friend forever.

Or not.

Just because...

Just because she has 5 teeth now (all in a matter of a month) she all of a sudden feels like she can down an ear of corn.

I should have figured as much. She's been gumming steak since she was 10 months.

Sexy Baby

Nora loves putting on all the shoes that are laying around the house. So when Grandma Shelly was over she was very excited to try out the high heels. Heaven knows I don't wear them anymore.

Pretty sure the high heels are as big as Nora's entire legs.

Looks like we might have a budding fashionista on our hands.

We started telling her that she was sexy and whistling at her. She got a little embarrassed and started covering her face with her hands. Maybe she doesn't like the limelight after all.

Love Is Spoken Here

Do you ever have those moments with your kids where you wish you could freeze time, or grab the video camera and force them to do what they just did one more time? Nora literally melted my heart tonight.

We were in the tub and she was sitting in my lap facing away from me. I was singing her songs. Itsy Bitsy Spider, Twinkle Twinkle, I Am a Child of God. I started singing Love Is Spoken Here, when she turned around, cupped my face in her sweet little hands and gave me the most beautiful smile I've ever seen.

She doesn't ever do this kind of thing so it's hard to even relay how much it means to me.

I hope she does feel that love is spoken in our home. I hope it's a place she feels safe and protected, loved and cherished. Because there isn't anything more important to me as a Mother than that.