Here it is…your daily dose of cute.
If that doesn’t make you smile, I don’t know what will.
Now go have a great day!
Birthday celebrations
We didn’t go big for birthdays this year but that doesn’t mean we didn’t celebrate! Robert was out of town on his actual birthday but we had a little home party when he got back with some Olexa’s cake!
He, of course, had a little help blowing out his candles! 🙂
It was an iPhone year around here – I got Robert a new one for his birthday and my mom got me a new one for my birthday! 🙂  I got the 8Plus so I could get the portrait mode on the camera. I have to learn how to use it best but am excited about the shots it can take!
On Friday night before my birthday on Saturday, GJ came into town and we loaded up the kids and drove to Atlanta for the night. We had an appointment with an Atlanta photographer to get pictures taken of the kids. It was kind of my birthday present to myself! Despite some rambunctiousness at the hotel, the kids did GREAT for the photog and I have to believe he got some really good shots.
I was just happy to be inside a studio after our disastrously freezing photos last year! There was even plenty of things to entertain the kids there too!
As a reward for good behavior we had lunch at – where else? – Moe’s!
There was also some ice cream and a trip to Target for the new toys you saw on Monday’s post. Bribery works every time! 🙂 We were back in Birmingham by Saturday afternoon in plenty of time to watch some football that night. Roll Tide and cheers to another year!
Namaste
A few weeks ago the kids got invited to a birthday party at a yoga studio. The boys wore shorts but, what does a very cute 2 year old girl wear to yoga? A leotard and pigtails, of course!
I was a little unsure how my rambunctious crew would do in downward dog but, to my surprise, they did great!
They paid attention to the teacher and held some pretty impressive poses!
Wish I had a picture of their tree pose. They all held it well! They even enjoyed a rare minute of quiet and stillness at the end…
Cutest little yogis I’ve ever seen! Namaste.
Day off
These kids have a day off and some new toys to play with! Nothing better!
See you tomorrow!
The Keeper
Happy Friday! My 39th birthday is tomorrow. Not 40 yet! One year of my 30s left and I think it’s going to be a great year. How could it not be when I get to spend it with my favorite people?!
I recently read the post below and it was so spot on to how I feel most days….
I am the keeper.
I am the keeper of schedules. Of practices, games, and lessons. Of projects, parties, and dinners. Of appointments and homework assignments.
I am the keeper of information. Who needs food 5 minutes before a meltdown occurs and who needs space when he gets angry. Whether there are clean clothes, whether bills are paid, and whether we are out of milk.
I am the keeper of solutions. Of bandaids and sewing kits and snacks in my purse. But also of emotional balms and metaphorical security blankets.
I am the keeper of preferences. Of likes and dislikes. Of nightly rituals and food aversions.
I am the keeper of reminders. To be kind, to pick up their trash, to do their dishes, to do their homework, to hold open doors and write thank you notes.
I am the keeper of rituals and memories. Of pumpkin patches and Easter egg hunts. I am the taker of pictures, the collector of special ornaments, and the writer of letters.
I am the keeper of emotional security. The repository of comfort, the navigator of bad moods, the holder of secrets and the soother of fears.
I am the keeper of the peace. The mediator of fights, the arbiter of disputes, the facilitator of language, the handler of differing personalities.
I am the keeper of worry. Theirs and my own.
I am the keeper of the good and the bad, the big and the small, the beautiful and the hard.
Most of the time, the weight of these things I keep resembles the upper elements on the periodic table – lighter than air, buoying me with a sense of purpose. It’s what I signed up for. It’s the one thing I am really good at.
But sometimes the weight of these things I keep pulls me down below the surface until I am kicking and struggling to break the surface and gasp for breath.
Because these things I keep are constantly flickering in the back of my brain, waiting to be forgotten. They scatter my thoughts and keep me awake long past my bedtime.
Because all these things I keep are invisible, intangible. They go unnoticed and unacknowledged until they are missed. They are not graded or peer reviewed or ruled on by a court. And sometimes they are taken for granted.
To all of you who are keepers, I see you.
I know the weight of the things you keep.
I know the invisible work you do—which doesn’t come with a pay check or sick leave—is what makes the world go round.
I see you.
And I salute you.
Link is here.
I am the keeper…the proud, exhausted, grateful, overwhelmed, and very happy keeper. Here’s to keeping it all together for another year!
Happy birthday to me!