The “Daddy Girl”

I came out of the laundry room one day long ago, to find my, then, 2-1/2 year old dressed in her dad’s shirt. She pretended for a good hour that she was the “daddy girl.” She got a bowl and acted like she was eating cereal at the table. Then she sat on the floor and read the paper. The best part was when she climbed up to the desk to “do daddy work.” That consisted of writing dozens of numbers on a tiny pieces of paper and putting them in envelopes. She said she was “writing money.”  What a great profession.

At last, she informed me that she had to drive to McDonald’s, so, she got up in the big chair and rocked back and forth and back and forth until she came pretty close to warp speed.  So many hysterical parallels–to our real life and she picked up on them so young. No secrets from this kid.

Personally, I was impressed that she got the shirt buttons right!

Bella’s Birthday

Our cute friend Jordan is quite the party girl, so she decided to throw a lovely little bash before our Eclipse movie premier.  The theme was “Bella’s Birthday” of course.

All the right people came out of the shadows…

and Bella’s gifts were perfect. Here’s her new car stereo from Emmett…

the photo album from her mom…

and camera from Charlie.

My daughter even made the cake.

We ate Face Punch popcorn…

and bitten cookies, and watched the Twilight New Moon movie on the side of Jordan’s house. Good friends, good food and tons of fun.

Simply perfect!

Happy Birthday Bella!!

Five Things

Here are a few things bringing me joy right this very minute. It never ceases to amaze me how our gratitude blossoms when we focus on the good things right in front of us.

Lovely, orderly grow boxes.

Cheesy Egg Bake…it’s not just for breakfast anymore.

Sweet friends who throw incredible birthday parties for beloved characters–more on this later!

Chamomile growing outside my window.

A very hard working son and his return home.

So…what brings you joy?

 

You Just Can’t Tell

When somebody is gone for two whole years–it’s hard to say what you’ve missed the most–about them–in that time. Was it their smile?

Their laughter at the dinner table?

Their love for all the babies?

Their happy attitude?

Or just their sweet face?

Sure…sure…it’s all of that and a hundred times more, but this afternoon, I do believe I’ve found one thing pretty darn close to the top of that list.

Welcome back boys playing football in the backyard.

It’s been far too long.

Welcome back…indeed.