So deserving.

I read this today and thought of my girls and the struggles that we all go through every day. We all deserve the very best in life. We should never settle and we should always love and live to the fullest. Remember the words that follow, my girls, because one day you may doubt it, but you should always come back to remember that you DO deserve all wonderful things. From my healing heart to yours... You deserve better. You know you do, don’t you? You deserve better than you’re allowing yourself. You deserve clothes that don’t just “fit right” but hug every inch of your body with adoration and loves your shape and makes you feel confident and wonderful. You deserve to not just go after your dreams, but SPRINT after them with passion and inspiration. You deserve to soar. You deserve to feel great no matter what your circumstances are. You deserve to feel great all. the. damn. time. And you deserve to make the CHOICE to feel great. You deserve to pursue your passions and live a life doing what makes your heart dance. You deserve to dance however you want to, regardless of what anyone else thinks. You deserve to forget what anyone else thinks about you at any time and just DO IT. You deserve to wake up and feel gratitude and excitement for the new day you’ve been blessed with. You deserve to take at least FIVE minutes to yourself every day to just relax. Sit. Do nothing. Breathe. Live. Be. You deserve to realize your own unique perfection. You deserve to eat and savor food that makes your mouth and tastebuds and heart and stomach and body sing with pleasure and energy. You deserve a GREAT night’s sleep, EVERY night. You deserve the very best people in your life who love you for who you are and want you to be the very best YOU. You deserve to give yourself a break once in a while. Or all the time. You deserve to play, sing, laugh, run around and throw leaves at your friends, go down slides and sit on the swings without restraint or thought. You deserve to be honest about yourself. You deserve to express yourself exactly how you want to express yourself. You deserve to forgive yourself. You deserve to let it go. You deserve to love your body, celebrate the amazing wonder of every single cell and limb, revel in the fact that it works however it works. You deserve to embrace yourself and tell yourself how much you love YOU. You deserve to throw out your scale and start realizing your real beauty. You deserve to love what you have and have what you love. You deserve to realize that life doesn’t start tomorrow and it didn’t start yesterday but it is HERE and only HERE, NOW. You deserve to live in the moment and love THIS. VERY. PRESENT. You deserve to give yourself the most love, trust, respect, and honor… from yourself. You deserve to smile for no reason. You deserve to be good to yourself. No, you deserve better; You deserve to be WONDERFUL to yourself. You deserve to treat yourself with infinite, unconditional compassion and kindness. You deserve to take yourself out on a date. You deserve to live a bigger life. Even bigger than the one you’re dreaming of. You deserve the very best, in this moment, right now. So go get ‘em, tiger. And refuse to settle for anything less. Ever.

Natalie's First Time at the Dentist

Well....I'd like to report that it was a big success....which is what I THOUGHT was going to be the case originally, but it wasn't so great. :( She was all excited after reading a Dora dentist story, and cool when we got there, but as soon as she had to lay down under that big round light she FREAKED OUT! I shouldn't say it was terrible, because all she did was cry out of fear. The dental assistant was SO great with her. She got to sit up while I held her and get her teeth brushed and flossed. She whimpered the entire time, but did talk about her favorite toys and what she would pick out of the prize jar. He even brushed her Rudolph doll's teeth. The exam by the dentist was interesting considering I had to hold her bottom half on my lap while the doctor held her head in her lap...yea. So they took x-rays which Natalie was better out but didn't like holding the film in her mouth! man. So it turns out that the tooth she fell on a few weeks ago is receding. The root itself is letting go so she will most likely lose it early and be a jack-o-lantern for a while. :( I hope she doesn't lose it too soon. As a child who lost her permanent tooth at age 11, and had to have a big fat replacement...I know how awful it can be to be "different" for a while. :( Anyway...she's super young and I should be happy that it's only a baby tooth, right?

So anyway, we were all done and on our way out the door when Natalie yells....."I want to be a DENTIST!!" pfff....nice. After ALL that crying and sweating...she was loving it. Really? Kids are hilarious. I love you my sweet! I wish that it hadn't been so scary for you, but you made it through! NO CAVITIES!! :) XO Mom

Sing in the morning

Little Hayden woke up singing. Sang while I changed her diaper and got her dressed and proceeded to keep on singing all the way downstairs! "MA....ma..maaaaaaaaaaaaa....MA....ma..maaaaaaaaaaaaa" SO sweet. :) As soon as she sees any of us she points and says "Hiiiiiiiiiii" or "haaaaaaaaa" and waves. She saw Daddy in the kitchen as we came downstairs, pointed at him and was yelling HIIIIIIII and waved. SO cute. :) Hayden is starting to copy us as we eat and when she has something she thinks is yummy she tells us! "mmmmmm" and rubs her tummy! WHAT?? SO adorable. She's changed so much in the last few weeks. She's still a little wicked but also so incredibly sweet. Miss Natalie is going to the dentist on Monday and I'm a little nervous. It will be her first time. I decided to make the appointment because I want the dentist to look at that tooth that she fell on. It's still bruised and it worries me, but I am hoping that it's all apart of the healing process. I've been talking it up like it's no big deal, going to the dentist, so lets hope it isn't a big deal for Natalie! :| Yesterday we made hearts and Hayden was so proud to have her own! Natalie colored it for her and Hayden enjoyed every minute of her first project. :) I wish there were more crafty things they could do together but because of the age difference it's hard to come up with anything. We are working on it though! Thinking about Hayden's first birthday party theme. Party planning takes the sting out of the fact that this year has flown by so fast and my girl is that much closer to not being a baby anymore. :( Both of you are so independent but you both still need me. :) I love the hugs, even if they spill drinks, crush my lungs, or cause head collisions. They are all very special to me....so keep 'em coming! Love you girls...to Venus and back. ;) XO Mom

Four hours of thunderstorm activity=exhaustion

Not because of my daughters....they slept through every bit of the crazy line of thunderstorms that came roaring through our 'hood last night/this morning. MY DOGS!!! UUUUGH! Eric and I were contemplating on where we could put them so we could get some sleep! We cleaned up a few accidents and had to deal with the constant nervous panting. OMG....we are completely exhausted. What is just so shocking to me is that neither one of my girls cried out one time!

My little brave girls! Natalie, you said you covered your ears when you heard the thunder. Even though I've told you before that if you are scared, grab your buzz lightyear flash light and come to mommy and daddy's room....but you stuck it out...AGAIN! :) SO proud of you. And Miss Hayden, you woke up later than usual, but happy and never flinched at the thunder that continued to clap loudly. I was such a scaredy cat when I was little but somehow I produced two little brave soldiers. Awesome. :)

I love you both!!

XO,
Mom

Shoes

I went searching Hayden's closet for something and found a box of Natalie's shoes that I had set aside for lil sis. Leave it to me to forget about it! Anyway, there were several pairs of baby shoes in there, size 3 and under. I brought down 1s and 3s...neither fit. The 3s were HUGE on Hayden. So I went back up and searched for 2s and only found one pair. Some ballerina types with pink ribbon ties and little beaded sole bottoms for traction. I tried them on her and she said, "wooooooooooooow" in her language. :) Mouth open and long sigh. They fit her perfectly so she wore them while cruising in her walker. She was so happy, going fast, fast, fast. I tried to get a picture but she just kept zooming by. :) Hopefully will get some decent pics today.

Yay! Another daughter who loves shoes!! Wonder where they get that from?? :)

Hayden is standing...no support!

Yesterday Hayden got fancy with her standing! She stood with her chubby little legs straight and at attention. She was so proud of herself for not needing to hold onto anything. She smiled and shrugged her shoulders as if to say "awww shucks." :) LOVED IT. This girl was a wild child yesterday! Short nap and she was ready to play ALL DAY LONG. I really think she could've stayed up later than her bed time, at the rate she was going. But as soon as I gave her a bath, her body became "limp" with relaxation and she was sleepy. :) Today she's been trying her new standing skills any chance she gets. I just can't believe her new stage of independence.

Hayden learns so fast, just like her sister. She knows several animal sounds and some sign language. A few that she uses a lot are "hi" and "bye bye" and "all done." She uses the "all done" when she's finished eating....and doesn't want anymore. Mastering the sippy cup is a new one for her, but she's getting it down. Big sis and I played "roll the ball" with her and she absolutely loved it and was just so proud of herself for getting the ball to us. :)

I looked at my little Hayden, while she played with Natalie and it hit me that she looks like such a big girl all of a sudden. I canNOT believe she is going to be ONE soon! My little baby, it was just yesterday you were drop kicking me from the inside. ;) Now you are my wicked little monkey on the outside! :) LOVE YOU!!!

XO,
Mom

Moderation is Key.

The attack on sweet, Paula Dean is pretty ridiculous. I think people are just feeling guilty about their own hang-ups and bad choices. I've used several of her recipes and have taken out half the butter/fat to adjust to my lifestyle, so why can't other people get that??? It's pretty ridiculous. Being smart about food is being conscience of what is in the choice you are about to make and how it will make you feel after you eat it. I have had many dumb moments in my life, and not caring or trying not to think about it in the heat of the moment gets me in trouble. Coming to terms with that realization is a huge win for me. Of course people, including myself, are going to have cake, or ice cream, or some other indulgence during their lifetime, but moderation is the key. No one is perfect, least of all me! I don't feed my kids bean sprouts, or tofu, but I do make an effort to incorporate healthier ingredients into some of their favorites. Homemade pizza pockets made with whole wheat flour and low fat cheese....guess what? It's Natalie's favorite! If it tastes good, kids don't know it's low fat. SCORE! :) We make cookies and muffins together, but they are all better choices for my kiddos...and that makes me happy.

I figure learning moderation has to start at home. For me it's an ongoing struggle, but I know what I need to do and what I shouldn't do. I hope my girls learn that lesson as they grow.

My reasons for this blog entry is for my girls to know that I care SO much about their health and well being. As I've said before and will continue to say for the rest of my life, I am NOT perfect...but trying is perfection in my book. :)

I love you girls...I love cooking yummy and healthy foods to nourish your bodies and make you smile. :)

I do what I do for you.
XO,
Mom