Satisfaction... In My Child's Smile!

We hosted a small birthday party for my daughter and her friends at the Children's Museum. We had pizza, cupcakes, soda, and a few decorations... but to my 3 year-old, it was the world. Her laugh, her smile, her squeals of delight when opening gifts was the best "thanks" that I could have ever received.

I am hovering in the afterglow of my daughter's smile.

MWM Turns 30

My Baby Turns "3" Tomorrow!

My daughter - the most precious being that I have ever known - turns "3" tomorrow, and I am slightly in denial. In the past year, she has potty trained, learned to ice skate and swim, begun taking big-girl showers, and entered her first year of dance classes. All of this, and I still remember every moment of her first few days on Earth - her delivery, her first feeding, her first bath, her first trip home in the Jeep on a frosty, January day...

I suppose that no matter what birthday she celebrates, she'll always by my baby. I will always want what is best for her, and I will always work to guide and protect her.

Praise God for this blessed addition to my life, and for three years of health and happiness!!!

Oh, and "Happy Birthday" to my little Izzie! If you choose to read this one day, I hope that you realize how much you're loved.

MWM Turns 30

Annual Greeting Card Hunt

I have a habit that I maintain in the first few days of each new year. I go shopping for nothing more than greeting cards - birthday, anniversary, holiday, etc. If it is expected before June, I will have the card to accompany its arrival.

We have two "birthday months" in my family, February being the first of them. Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day quickly follow, along with Easter and several wedding anniversaries. In having routine greeting cards on hand, I save myself from making multiple trips to Hallmark or the supermarket. My time is freed up to brainstorm and purchase gifts, or to make plans for an adults-only dinner. Of all of my wacky habits, this may be the only one that my husband actually smiles upon.

The other wonderful thing about looking forward to landmark days for family and friends is that it allows me to take a moment to be grateful for their presence in my life... even for my sister-in-law, whom I rarely speak to, but seems to keep my brother happy. Her birthday is Feb. 12th, by the way.

With convenience in mind today...

MWM Turns 30