Happy...

Lately I have been really happy. I don't know quite what it is but I've just been really, really happy. I guess it's because I have been making more of an effort to spend some real quality time with my boy and my man. In the morning and later when Carter comes home from school I am all his until bedtime. We play games, read, go for walks, and find excuses to eat a lot of yummy treats. After Carter goes to bed, my full attention goes to my hubby. We relax, talk, and spend time cuddled up watching our favorite shows. I am making a more conscience effort to be present. It has been absolutely wonderful and I can see and feel changes not only in myself but my guys as well. 
I've been taking a lot of time away from blogging, thinking about what I really want in terms of this blog and other life decisions, and getting my priorities in line and let me tell you I am feeling SO refreshed. I am slowly letting go of the guilt I have been feeling about not being able to keep up and remembering that I blog first and foremost for ME. In a way I hate how selfish that sounds, but it's the truth. And if this is something that I want to make last it has to be enjoyable and refreshing...not stressful.
So I thought that I would share with you a few things that have really made me smile over the past couple of weeks. Things that maybe I would have overlooked or not fully enjoyed while I was wrapped up in other stuff. Proof that it really is the little things in life that make me the happiest.
Rain. We haven't had much of it lately, but I absolutely love watching it rain. And there's something about the freshness after a good rain that I love...kinda feels like a fresh clean start.

This face. Need I say more? Perfection. I swear I could stare at him all day. It's been awhile since I just sat and took in how precious he really is. It never ceases to amaze me that he is mine. He's the combination of me and the hubs love brought to life. He's all that I could ever ask for and so much more. I love him more than I could ever express. I am so blessed.

Splurging on something for me. Yeah I know it's just chapstick but trust me, spending $3 on chapstick is a splurge in my opinion! But I LOVE it!

Shaved ice. After school one day, hubs met Carter and I for this special treat. It reminded us of being in Hawaii...one of our favorite places.

Getting dressed in clothes other than sweats. Yup, since we are all finally feeling better it's so nice to actually put on a real outfit, shave my legs, and put on make up! Feeling like a hobo is only fun for so long ;){p.s.- please ignore the unmade bed in the background}

Star Wars. It's a big deal in this house. We took our little Jedi to see it over the weekend and had a blast.

This man. He is the breath of fresh air in my day. My safe place. My comfort. I am so incredibly blessed to be his wife and to be sharing my life with him. Nobody else would do, only him. 

New iPad games. Carter and I have been playing a lot of games together on the iPad. He's a little obsessed with the latest game I downloaded for him, Tap Tap Muppets. Watch and see, I think we may have a little DJ in the making...

And something that I just discovered today thanks to Kristine over at The Foley Fam...Birthday Cake Oreos.

MY LIFE IS NOW COMPLETE. 

Dear Oreo, if you are reading this please make these a regular flavor. Making these a limited edition item will only force me to be on the next episode of hoarders as a troubled cookie hoarder. I could possibly then die due from being buried alive by a cookie avalanche in my own home...or diabetes, whichever comes first. 

So until the next post my peeps...I hope you find joy in your day and lots of reasons to smile.

XOXO

The Little Things...

Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend a culminating event at Carter's school. It was a time where momma's and daddy's could come to school for about an hour and be "taught" by our kiddos. It was their chance to show us all the things that they had been learning in school so far, a chance to "show off their skills" as Carter put it. As soon as I walked into class Carter ran up to me and gave me a huge hug. The smile on his face said it all, he was SO happy to see me there.

To start, the teacher had all the kids line up and they started off by singing us a song. It's still stuck in my head...

"R-E-D red, R-E-D red, I can spell red, I can spell red..."

It was precious. Whoever thought that a song about the color red would actually make me tear up!  About a minute into the song, though, a little boy in the front row started to cry. I looked around to see why his mommy or daddy wasn't coming to his rescue only to realize that he was crying because his mommy and daddy were not there. The teacher scooped him up and did her best to comfort him. I felt so sad for the little guy.

Once the song was over we moved on to some activities. The kids were all so excited to "teach" us what they knew. As we walked to the table I noticed another sweet little girl with red eyes and a fist full of kleenex. Her mommy wasn't there either. My heart broke. It was all I could do to keep from crying myself. I asked if she wanted to come play with Carter and I and she reluctantly agreed. When I told Carter that his friend would be playing with us I could tell he was a little jealous. He wanted me all for himself that day and of course, I wanted to be all his. I took him aside and explained to him why his friend was so sad and how part of being a good friend to someone means that we try to cheer them up when they are sad, and he agreed to share me. I was so proud of him. Finally after a few games, the little girl's smile returned. We bonded over her awesome pink fuzzy boots.

There was a total of 4 kids in class whose mommy or daddy did not make it that day and my heart literally broke for each of them as I watched the tears stream down their little disappointed faces. Amidst all this I learned a lesson that will stick with me forever...

It's the little things that matter most to our children. It's coming to school to hear them sing about the color red. It's listening to them count to 100. It's playing blocks with them and showing them how proud we are of even their smallest accomplishments. It's being there for them.

Being present.

Being proud.

Being involved in what is important to them.

That day will stay with me for a very long time. I will never forget the smile on Carter's face when I walked into class and I will never forget the crying faces of those kids who had no one there for them. I realize that maybe those parents had to work. Maybe they wanted to be there so badly but couldn't. Maybe they felt extremely guilty. I realize that at some point we are all going to let our kids down and disappoint them, after all we are all imperfect. But it really impressed upon me the fact that our kids really ask so little of us. All they really want is our time, our attention...us. 

I hope that I will never be the momma who lets her son down or makes him feel unimportant.
I hope that by always being there for him he will know how proud I am of every single one of his accomplishments no matter how big or small they may be.
I hope that he will always feel like he can count on me to be there to support him and cheer him on.
I hope he'll know that every sacrifice I make for him is worth it to me.
I hope that in my presence he will always feel the unfailing love that I have for him.

xoxo,

Lacee

"Love" to-do List

There are many things I love in life -- fluffy little kittens, the smell of a newborn baby, chocolate, the beach, cherry coke...just to name a few. But there is one thing I love that you may find kinda odd.

I love making lists.

Yes, I know I'm a strange one. While most people find list making a chore, I love just about everything about it. I love writing the list, I love organizing the things on the list, and I especially love crossing things off the list. It may be because unless I write things down I tend to completely forget about them {motherhood has made my brain become like that of a goldfish}, or because I love the immense satisfaction and sense of accomplishment that comes with crossing things off the list, but whatever the reason, my many lists seem to keep me sane.

There is a list, though, that I've been wanting to compile for quite some time but my many other lists {groceries, chores, ect.} have always taken priority.

NOT ANY MORE

Today I am going to push aside my other lists and work on a different kind of list, a super fun list filled with all the things that I would someday LOVE to-do. Now some people refer to this kind of list as a "Bucket List" but to me that just doesn't sound exciting. So I'm calling mine my "Love to-do list" cause it just sounds cuter.

This is one of those lists that will never really be done, it will always be added too. So you'll probably see future posts updating my latest progress and the things I've added to it. It will also have on it some things that I have already accomplished and done...YAY for crossing things off! And hopefully, it will inspire you to think of things that you would someday

 "Love to-do."

Alright, so here goes...some things are simple, some are silly, and some may never ever happen but these are all things I dream of someday doing.

Lacee's "Love to-do List"

{in no particular order}

• Work in a bakery {to be more specific, Ace of Cakes}
• Jump off the Sky Tower in New Zealand
• Run a 5k  
• Run in a 5k mud run
• Run a marathon
• Learn to play the guitar
• Have a shop on Etsy
• Travel to Africa and go on a Safari
• Travel to Egypt and see the pyramids while riding a camel
• Take cooking classes
• Start my own blog  ;)
• Learn to sew {cute things} using a sewing machine
• Learn to take really great pictures with a "big girl" camera
• Grow raspberries & blackberries in my backyard
• Be an archaeologist for a day and dig up treasures
• Write a children's book
• Eat real Italian food in Italy
• Be able to dive into a pool instead of belly flop
• Swim with wild dolphins
• Make a baby girl
• Travel cross country in a winnebago with my hubbs
• Have a six pack {abs that is}
• Take care of cheetah cubs
• Have grandchildren {a VERY long time from now}
• Be a stay-at-home momma
• Ride in a hot air balloon over wine country
• Take a helicopter ride into the Grand Canyon
• Learn to scuba dive
• Scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef
• Become a certified Zumba instructor
• Travel to Fiji
• Stay in one of those huts over the water in Bora Bora
• Have a meal with Paula Deen
• Make money doing what I love
• Live in Hawaii
• Own my own surfboard
• Own a house that sits right on the beach
• Watch the SF Giants win the World Series
• Learn to speak Spanish fluently
• Trace my family history
• Hug a polar bear
• Make pasta from scratch
• Be made-over to look like Belle from Beauty and the Beast, dress and all
• Go horseback riding on the beach
• Learn how to salsa dance
• Visit the place where Dirty Dancing {my fav movie} was filmed
• Go on a Disney Cruise
• Raise a loving, caring, gentleman of a son
• Make a family cookbook with our family's favorite recipes and pics of us cooking together for my future generations to enjoy
• Make blankets for underprivileged children
• Learn to change a tire
• Feed a giraffe
• Ride first class on an airplane
• Be in a Disney parade
• Be a contestant on WipeOut
• Read the entire Bible in a year
• Learn to make sushi
• Kiss my hubbs under a waterfall
• Hang out with Brian Wilson for a day
• Have a food fight {one that I don't have to clean up}
• Zip-line through the jungle
• Make someones dream come true
• Make a slide show for our 10 year anniversary of our journey so far
• Be a contestant on Survivor
• Make a difference in someones life
• Catch a firefly
• Fall in love
• See Elton John in concert
• See the Northern lights
• Stay in a cabin with my boys and watch the snow fall while drinking hot cocoa
• Make sure that those that I love know it and can feel it

That's all I can think of for now.

Until next time, I'll leave you with this quote that I just adore...

What are 3 things on your "Love to-do List"?

xoxo,

Lacee