To Wes on Your 4th Birthday

Dear Wes,

Today it's been four whole years since you came into this world and changed my life in the best way possible. You're starting preschool this week and I can hardly believe you're the same person as that little baby we brought home from the hospital, with dreamy fresh milk breath and those signature chubby cheeks.
At four years old you can write your name, count to 20, and you have the most amazing imagination. You're always slaying dragons, fighting bad guys or steering your ship off into the deep blue abyss, on the search for lost treasure. You're always the first to walk up to a new kid and introduce yourself, "Hi, I'm Weston. What's your name? Wanna play?" and so I just know you're going to love this new phase of your life and I know you're going to do great. I hope you don't mind, but I'm keeping you home with me on Mondays even though, technically, school is five days a week. Until kindergarten, I'm going to take every day, every hour, every minute with you that I can get before you grow up any more.  You are an absolute joy in my life. You're so bright, so funny, so independent and clever I just can't believe I had a part in making such a special little person. I feel so lucky to be the one that's gets to teach you, watch over you and and share in your life with you.

I love you my biggest, bravest, most handsome boy
Mommy

50 Memories for 50 Years

My mom celebrated her 50th birthday the other day.

My siblings and I wanted show her just how special and loved she is -

and do it in a big way. She didn't want a trip, or a fancy party  

or any of the typical birthday fare, so we started to brainstorm. 

Then I remembered how Holly, from this great little blog

I read, did a collection of memories for her father's 60th birthday.

I ran the idea past Abby and Ben and we decided to give it a try.

We contacted all of my mom's friends and family members - 

brothers, sisters, co-workers, even high schools classmates to ask them

if they would be willing to share their favorite memory of our mom.

The response we got was amazing.

The letters we recieved were beautiful, sweet, funny 

and everything we had hoped they would be.

We special ordered envelopes and stamps and numbered them 

1- 50.

Then we arranged the memories in chronological order

and packaged them all together for the final presentation.

The reaction we got from our mom when she opened them up 

was also everything we had hoped it would be. 

It was so fun getting to watch her go through them, reading 

memories from the people in her life all throughout her past.

 Jeff wrote a letter from my mom's dog - we even got her "signature"

By the time she got through them all it was almost midnight, so

the house was a little dark and the pictures are a bit blurry, but it 

went exactly as we had hoped it would and we couldn't be happier.

She was completely surprised.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this project, it meant 

the world to us that so many people took the time and energy to 

put together all of these amazing letters and memories. 

It was truly above and beyond what we expected and hoped for. 

So, thank you, thank you, thank you.

and to my mom,

Happy 50th Birthday!

I love you!

From My Birthday

yesterday was my birthday (29!)

it was pretty darn good for a tuesday.

there were flowers from my boss. cards, gifts, homemade

blueberry muffins and pecan tarts from the girls at work.

dinner at blue point grill with my handsome husband.

sweet presents picked out especially for me from sir weston.

(he chose a snowflake necklace - that boy knows his mama).

kind messages from my family and friends made my day and even

my dad left me a voicemail of him singing me happy birthday.

plus abby made me apple dumplings the other night and she's

making me strawberry shortcake tonight.

and oren...

well, he slept through the night.

what more could a girl ask for?

thank you, everyone!

xoxo

p.s. today is my mom's 50th birthday! post on that celebration coming later.

happy birthday, mom. i love you!

Insomnia

The title of this post could be metaphor for my life lately.

Between the return of my panic attacks, prepping for our first ever

"back to school" time and sleep training Oren on top of all that...

the last few weeks have been lacking in the sleep department.

But luckily, it isn't only a metaphor for my life.

Insomnia is also a really delicious new cookie shop downtown!

Delicious and genius. Get this, they will deliver hot cookies right to 

your door, day or night. That is unless you live past Highland Square,

like we do. Then you gotta go get your cookies your own damn self.

apparently, a dozen cookies just wasn't enough.

Insomnia Cookies - Oren approved.

Superhero Wes, Four Years Old

We thought this photo shoot would be fitting
considering his current obsession

Thank you to Katie for her great photography skills (as usual)

and a HUGE thanks to Marisa for being our master costume 

designer and sidewalk sketcher!