Mommin' It Up!

November 2, 2009

Trick-or-Treat Tradition 2009

Emily told you last year about our Halloween tradition of trick-or-treating together. It has made Halloween a really special holiday for us. I must confess I never had warm and fuzzy feelings about Halloween. I mean I love me some candy, but come on. Now, Halloween has the potential to make me downright MISTY! I mean who wouldn’t get a little choked up at Tinkerbell sweetly smooching Optimus Prime?

Or two Tinkerbell cousins having a pre-trick-or-treat fairy huddle time?

While their Peter Pan took off with one of their trick-or-treat buckets and was ready to GO!?

My favorite part of this year’s trick-or-treat was how much Sophie loved it. She was not exactly an, um, willing participant last year, but this year? She spread her wings and got her some CANDY!

She had a pretty good example. She kept calling Kate “Cake” all night, and she thought Cake was pretty darn awesome!

Of course Joshua loved it, too. He kept running down the street yelling, “Trick-or-treat is finally here!” He has been asking about it ALL MONTH! I thought he looked pretty tough in his Optimus Prime costume!

But the best costume of all?? The award goes to Emily’s husband Andy, who channeled “Earl” from “My name is Earl” so well it was probably the scariest thing I saw ALL NIGHT!

(I would also like to note that Andy was rather proud of his efforts and said, “Jenny will you take my picture and put it on ‘Mommin’ It Up’?” Well of COURSE I WILL!)

Ok, since I take waaaay to many pictures, here are some of my faves from the night:

Optimus Tinkerbell!

Em and Sammers

General cuteness

Pre-TOT meeting

Super-happy Sophie

On their way

We had a great time, and we are blessed with such great cousins to share this with each year!

October 30, 2009October 30, 2009

Your Weekend Assignment

Can a blog give you homework?

Probably not, but I’m going to anyway.

You see, yesterday, I got a manicure. Not because we were going to a fancy event this weekend or because I had a gift certificate or because it was my birthday. I got one just because I felt like it.

The other day I read this post by Audrey from Mom Generations, about her new love of dark nail polish (specifically, OPI‘s Lincoln Park After Dark).
opi lincoln park after dark

And even though dark nail polish is totally not me and even though I hadn’t had a manicure since I had my senior pictures taken (seriously) and even though I very rarely do random things like that… I decided I wanted my nails to be that color. Immediately. So, I called and made an appointment just because I felt like it, and I am so glad I did.

I am in love with my new dark nails, and it was so fun to treat myself like that. Just because I felt like it.

So my assignment to you, my friends, is to do something this weekend just because you feel like it. Read a book, have a pumpkin spice latte (which I am totally craving), drink a glass of Halloween wine, get a manicure… do whatever. Take a few minutes to do something for yourself. It’s amazing how something small can make such a big difference!

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To see other ways to do something for yourself, check out Fight the Frump Friday at Blissfully Domestic!

October 29, 2009

When She Takes My Hand

Photo by Jen Ishmael

This is my new favorite picture. My friend Jen took it when we went to Fulton Farms, when Sophie was approaching the big slide in the hay, her arms spread wide ready to take hold of the rails and climb up the steps before whooshing down in glee. Her heart full of excitement at what she knew was coming.

And of course, the picture captures me gazing down at my daughter. My heart, also full of excitement at what I know is coming.

Because Sophie is amazing, and every day with her is amazing. She has bloomed this summer and fall, from a “Terrible Two” into a chatty, sweet, funny almost three-year-old. Her sweetness is such that her Daddy and I feel a little twinge of sadness when we put her to bed at night. Although, she usually does entertain us for awhile after by singing songs over her baby monitor, her favorite being If You’re Happy and You Know it”, which is HIGHLY enjoyable.

Sophie loves to sing, she loves puzzles and colors and letters, she loves playing with trains and her doll house. Every day with her is full of FUN. She is still feisty and stubborn and all the good and bad things that make her Sophie. But mostly she is a joy. And I love being her mama. One of my favorite things that she does these days, is that she takes hold of my hand and tries to pull me along with her somewhere. “Let’s go! Let’s go!” she’ll say. She’ll also hold my hand now contently when we walk down a sidewalk, walk through a store, wherever. This is a new thing for us, and I love it. Because when she takes my hand, when I get to walk with her, it makes me feel proud and privileged, honored to be the one who gets to walk with Sophie.

Before bed, and naptime, we read some of Sophie’s books, and right how her favorite is Mama, Do You Love Me? (which was a gift from Emily I might add), and Sophie likes to “read” it herself, because she has it memorized. It is pretty much the sweetest thing ever when she says in her tiny voice, “Still, I would…LOVE YOU!”

I will love you always and forever, Sophie, because you are my Dear One.