Girls Day

Dear Em,
On Saturday you & I shared a precious day, just the two of us. We started the day getting ready for your dance photo shoot. I used the curling iron to curl your pony tail. We applied lipstick, blush, & eye make-up to your little, girl face. You loved being able to wear make-up just like Mommy.

It was almost lunchtime by the time you finished your dance photo shoot. Luckily, one of our favorite spots was close by. We ate a packed lunch by the water in Watch Hill. It was a cool day, but it was sunny. We were both happy to be outdoors.

Watch Hill has so many cute shops. You wanted to go to every single one. Most of the stores had women's clothing & home decor, but you still enjoyed just browsing the racks & shelves. You told almost every shop owner that you & I were having a "girls day. Daddy is not allowed, because he is a boy...& he is at the RedSox game." The shop owners smiled, delighted by you & your openess. One of the women even gave you a frog made out of rocks & shells.

Once we had stopped in every shop (& you made sure we had stopped in every single one that was open...I do love my little shopping buddy), we headed over the giant dune & to the beach. It was still on the chilly side, & I was glad you never dared to venture too close to the water. Instead, you danced around, wrote little notes in the sand, & looked for shells.

You came running over to me, eyes wide & a big smile plastered on your face. You had found a pretty piece of green sea glass. I had never actually found sea glass on the beach myself. It became a hunt for treasure after that for both of us. We filled a bag with sea glass & shells, & we talked about art projects that we could make with them.

We had walked that beach with Daddy many times, never going more than halfway. Saturday was the day we walked all the way to the end. There, we found tons of giant rocks. You explored & climbed from rock to rock while I snapped pictures of my amazing & strong little girl.

Tired from all of our Watch Hill walking, we headed to the craft store to pick up supplies for our beachy art project ideas. You slept most of the way. Your cheeks were rosy with fresh air, & I couldn't help but smile as I stole glimpses of you in the rear view mirror.

Our last stop before heading home was Newport Creamery. There we picked up a couple Awful Awfuls. "These really are awful big & awful good, Mom." You had oreo Awful Awful all over your face. I'm not sure how you got it on your forehead, but you did. Your eyes were bright, & you were smiling from ear to ear.

When we got home, I cleaned off our pretty shells & sea glass. I can't believe how much beautiful sea glass we found. I'm so excited about the things we will make from the things that we found on our beautiful adventure.

I know there may come a time where hanging out with your friends might seem a little more fun & exciting than spending time with Daddy & I. So, I am going to savor these moments, moments where having a girls day with your mom is one of the most special kinds of days. 

Thank you so much for Saturday. Thank you for being so excited to spend a girls day with your mom. Thank you for bringing the smiles, the shopping, the "ooohs," & the "ahhhhhs." Thank you for finding the treasures & adventure & for walking along with me & holding my hand. Thank you for all the times you celebrated & all the times we talked. Thank you ever so much for being my girl.

I love you so,

Mommy

We have sprouts!

Dear Em,
Remember how we're going to try growing our own flowers & veggies this year? I'm excited to say we have sprouts!

Sadly only about half of our flowers sprouted, but I'm still going to call it a win, because now we get to look at more than just dirt (which I was thinking was a serious possibility). It's been super fun for you to wake up each day & check out the new things that have sprouted out of the soil.

Maybe we'll actually have some flowers & vegetables to harvest this year...maybe...

I love you so,
Mommy

Spring Car Wash

Dear Em,
The sun was shining last weekend. It was the perfect day for a car wash.

Daddy gave you the hose, a bucket filled with soapy water, & sponge. You scrubbed & rinsed every inch of your power wheels convertible & had a blast doing it. It was incredibly adorable.

You put so many smiles in my heart.

I love you so,

Mommy

"Not every day is going to go your way."

Dear Em,
I was having a rough day. You could see the stress in my face. You looked up at me & asked me what was wrong. I had to work to calmly reply. "Today is just not going my way."

"Well, not every day is going to go your way. You & Dad tell me that all the time."

I laughed. Sometimes I think God created five year olds so that they can tell people exactly what they need to hear. I couldn't change the way the first half of that day had gone, but I could choose how I would spend the rest of it. I chose you & I chose sunshine & I chose art. My favorite way to destress is to create something.

So, you & I picked up our chalk & headed outside to the front walk. We created pictures in the sunshine, side by side.

You know what? the day didn't end up being so bad. Thanks for helping me turn my rough days around.

I love you so,

Mommy

TBT: Happy Anniversary House

Dear Em,
Last week we celebrated living in our house for six years. I feel like six years have flown by, & yet, I feel like I've lived under this roof for a lifetime. We truly became a family in this home. I was just a few weeks pregnant the day this picture was taken, but Daddy & I had no idea yet.

This is the house we came home to after finding out I was pregnant. This was the house that we took you home to after you were born. This is the home we all learn & grow in on a daily basis. The colors of the walls may change & the furniture may come & go, but I hope when you think of our home, you think of love. I hope that you will be able to dream in this house, to feel safe in this house, to fall apart in this house, to pick yourself back up in this house, to work hard in this house, to rest in this house, to play in this house, to get serious in this house, to laugh in this house, to seek comfort in this house, to go outside of your comfort zone in this house, to create in this house, & to love in this house as the years go by.

I love you so,
Mommy

Stereos & Morning Dance Parties

Dear Em,
You were gifted a karaoke machine for Christmas. You don't use the microphone very often (you don't really need to, you project your voice very well all on your own). Instead, you've started to use your karaoke machine as your very own stereo.

Lately, Daddy & I have been woken up to the sound of music...the sound of Annie to be specific. You have the Annie soundtrack on CD. You pop it into "your stereo" pretty much whenever you're in your room. From my bedroom, I can hear your music blaring. Daddy & I feel like we're already seeing glimpses of what life might be like when you're a teenager.

It was just past 6am the other morning when I peeked into your room, & you were dancing all around & singing along at the top of your lungs. You looked up at me, smiling from ear to ear. "Mommy, I'm having a dance party. Want to have a dance party with me?!"

Can I just tell you how much I freaking love you?

I love you so,

Mommy

Our First Kayaking Adventure of 2015

Dear Em,
Temperatures were in the 70s on Saturday, & we were all thrilled. You dressed yourself in a bathing suit & sunhat. I thought you were kind of jumping the gun with the bathing suit, but I was also ready to enjoy the day outdoors. We loaded our kayaks onto our car & headed to Ninigret Park for our first kayaking adventure of the season.

We've been to Ninigret Park so many times for the Seafood Festival, playground, your soccer games, frisbee golf & outdoor movies. Little did I know, there is still so much more to the park. There is also a nature trail & salt water boating area.

It was a gorgeous day, & the sun's rays sparkled on the water. The currents were strong, but I loved that we could hear the crash of the ocean waves most of the time we kayaked. You took pictures while we explored rocks, shells, sea creatures, & even people clamming.

I had thought it was a little premature to be donning our bathing suits, but it ended up being perfect that you had put yours on. There were many shallow spots where you could jump out of the kayak & go exploring. This is exactly what you need, because you can get a little bit antsy from sitting in the kayak for too long with so many exciting things around you.

It was a beautiful start to our kayaking season. I'm looking fun to exploring many more kayaking spots with you & Daddy this year.

I love you so,

Mommy

Reading Fancy Nancy

Dear Em,
At the beginning of the school year, you set some goals for yourself. A couple weeks ago, you met one of your goals. You read your first Fancy Nancy book. Actually, you read your first collection of Fancy Nancy books.

You were so excited to be reading Fancy Nancy. Typically, you are begging us to read to you. With your Fancy Nancy collection, you were asking to read to us. You have a new confidence in being able to read your favorite books, & it's really amazing. I'm so proud of you.

I love you so,
Mommy