Memorial Weekend

I am sitting here doing this post while Delaney is doing this....

We are off to a great start to the unofficial start to summer around here! 

Delaney starts camp this week which seemed like a good idea when I signed her up for it a few months back but the thought of setting the alarm clock does not sound like a good idea anymore. But I guess since I was at the track at 4:00 am getting up at 7:00 am this week will feel like sleeping in. 

Then we went to our friends' annual race party which is one of our favorite parties. It's the kind that you end up firing up the grill at 9:00 pm because all your friends have outstayed their welcome and won't leave even though the food is gone. And then the next day you get a picture of all the trash you generated from outstaying your welcome that even included a trampoline. #gobigorgohome

The party includes the annual guys (only) volleyball game that came with custom t-shirts this year.

On Memorial Day we headed to another cookout to visit our cousins who are passing through as they move from North Carolina to California.....

Where I got to love on this little piece of heaven which almost makes me want to have another baby...oh I kid (But I did tell her mom I think she should have another baby)

And then back home to love on this girl.

Who made a Pringles and Gold Fish salad for dinner.  Gosh I hope they give her a healthy snack at camp! I told her it was bed time and she told me she was still "charged up" and still had "juice in her".  So I'm off to bed because one of us has some sleep to catch up on....and Delaney's just going to have to put herself to bed when her juice runs out :-)

The Pain Never Goes Away......

You just make room for it.

And although life can be brutally random and unfair, I am always aware of the good he left behind.........

Another Funday Sunday

When Delaney is quiet, I always know she's up to something. She skipped her thumbs for obvious reasons....

We had a great day out back tossing the ball and picking flowers and sticking them in what else.....

While I got things ready for dinner (Sunday has turned into grilling out with our friends) Delaney looked through all of our cookbooks at recipes she'll never eat! I love that she went to put on an apron. She is writing down the page numbers to all of those recipes.

And our pool was opened today! If you need us this summer, that's where we'll be ALL SUMMER LONG!

"A Special Place In This World"...............

Delaney had a birthday party for one of her classmates that she was so excited to go to. In fact, four hours before the party, she started asking me how much longer......and then one hour before the party, this happened!

So we pulled out some winter clothes to get her ready and she came home with a full hair, nails, and face makeover! She marched right into the bathroom to take off her nail polish (or, as she calls it "pol nalish") on her thumb so she could suck it ---- that will stop soon right?????

Then she went on and on how she won all of the games because my land she is her father's daughter and inherited his competitive spirit........I loved her hair in curls but you all know how I feel about a curling iron.

I know she had a great time because she came home with a goody bag and chips stuck in her scarf!
And then she told me it's not fair that Brooklyn has a dad AND A DOG! Then I had to remind her that she does have a dad and that she is allergic to dogs :-)
And as if that conversation didn't have me on the verge of tears.....this one sure did!

As I was walking in the party to pick up Delaney (and WHY do those two hours go by so fast) one of the other moms that I don't know stopped me on the front porch and said "are you Delaney's mom, I just have to tell you that smile of her's lights up the world. My husband volunteered in class the other day and he came home talking about this little girl's smile and I knew right away he was talking about Delaney. I know as a mom you need to hear this so I just want you to know that there is a special place in this world for your little girl".................

I don't even know how to finish this post because I am still just overwhelmed that a complete stranger said this to me.  So I'll just go wash off Delaney's eye shadow and mascara...........................

"Born to Love You".....

As we hopped on the interstate this morning in Bowling Green to head home, I looked into the rearview mirror (despite seeing Delaney crying because she had to leave her cousins) and thought how to sum up what it means to be her mom. Then I decided on "I was born to love her".....and then I changed the radio station and the song playing was.........

"I WAS BORN TO LOVE YOU"...............and that pretty much sums up this awesome, incredibly blessed life I'm living with this little toothless girl!!!

3 Favorite Things to do with Mommy

I sent this to some friends who thought it was so sweet Delaney picked three things that were free. I am putting it on the blog for when she's a teenager bleeding me dry for money, I can remind her when she was 6, these were her favorite things to do with me....... 

Oh these two......

This fearless little girl is counting down the days until this can happen again!! Just a few more to go......