Dear Alexa....

Today you celebrated your ninth birthday.

Your mama said you could have ANYTHING you wanted for breakfast - you requested pancakes (plain and chocolate chip) and bacon. There was no bacon so your daddy make a special trip to the store to pick some up for you.

You had an awesome party at a little private bowling alley at a local university. You felt so special. You said that no one else has ever had an ENTIRE bowling alley for their birthday!

All your closest friends and family were there to share in the fun. Even your grandparents bowled! You hung out with your girl friends, sang out loud to your favorite music that blasted from every corner of the alley, you danced around and did silly things, and you bowled, of course.

Your mama watched you proudly from afar, with camera in hand, marveling at the smart and lovely little girl you've become. You are a tomboy, but such a girly-girl too, even though you would never admit it.

You had a soccer birthday cake and soccer themed goody bags. You had lime green, baby blue, and white balloons. You made your Mama promise not to use any PINK in your birthday colors. Mama told the girl at the bakery to trim your soccer cake with PURPLE icing - it was a very cool cake.


Your mama and daddy bought you that "Just Like Me" American Girl doll you wanted soooo bad. She even had glasses, just like yours!


And the Harry Potter Lego Wii game you thought looked cool. Your brother spoiled your surprise when he walked in on your mama in the living room (at 1:30 am!) wrapping the gifts the night before, and even though he promised not to tell, it was the first thing he did when he went back up the stairs to your room.

You were both so excited about the bowling party, you didn't fall asleep until almost 2:00 am. But you still woke up early the next day!

You had a great day and you thanked your mama and daddy for the BEST birthday party EVER!



Happy Birthday Alexa!

Comical Kid Quotes of the Day

Johnny (upon waking up on a weekday morning): Is daddy downstairs?

Mama: No, honey. Daddy went to work today.

Johnny: Aww, I miss daddy. I don't like it when he goes to work.

Mama: I know. Me too, sweety.

Johnny: But, it's good that he goes to work because he makes change for us.





Mama: What do you want for breakfast today?

Sophia: YUCKY CHARMS!!

Happy 10th Anniversary To Us!

Today marks 10 blissful years of marriage for the hubby and I. Ten years ago today we were joined in holy matrimony in front of all our dear family and friends on a gorgeous, crisp Summer day. Holy cow, an entire decade?!

Since then we have lived in three different houses, given birth to three children, and added one crazy canine to our chaotic life. My hubby, Michael, and I were childhood friends who became much more than that once we graduated high school. I can hardly remember a day when I have not known him.

We spent the evening eating Thai take-out from our favorite restaurant and washing it down with a bottle of champagne.
 
It was a good day.

Out With The Old

I spent a good part of the afternoon yesterday flipping through my old journals; I stumbled upon them when I was cleaning out the drawers in my bedroom.

While I read page after page of teen and young adult angst, I thought, "How horrified would I be if someone actually read this stuff?"

" What if I die tomorrow (God forbid, knock on wood, and all that good stuff) and my hubby and kids clean out my drawers and find these journals full of self-deprecating and embarrassing anecdotes?"

After some consideration, I decided I would give the journals one final read-through before sending them to a fiery grave in a backyard bonfire. I now have a bag of my torn-to-shreds past waiting to be torched. It wasn't easy letting go, and I tried many times before, but somehow today it just felt right to finally say good-bye and leave the past in the past for good. I pulled out a few pages that I thought were worth keeping - poems, big moments like getting engaged and first pregnancy - but anything before that was just too mortifying. I'll store them in a memory box for my kids to find when I'm gone.

I has a blast reading my old journals and remembering the people, places and issues I dealt with in my youth. Every crush, every fight with mom, every boring job, every school friendship - all of those experiences shaped me into the woman I am today. I'm a completely different person now - an adult ((shudder)), a wife, a mom. I look forward to blogging about my life as it is now. It's time to move on.