We've been doing lots of dreaming at our house lately. Dreaming about a forever house and what our future might look like. We've been talking about long-term plans and where we think God is leading us as a family. I didn't share a "September Goals" post at the beginning of the month like I did in the months before, because I just couldn't seem to focus on anything that short term. The more I thought about the future, the more the same thing bubbled to the top of my list. It shouldn't come as a surprise to you at all, but one of my favorite quotes is by John Lennon. "When I went to school they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down 'happy'. They told me I didn't understand the assignment, and I told them they didn't understand life." John Lennon He uses the ...
Letters
Dear Antonio, You make me laugh. A lot. I remember a night a few weeks ago when we were eating chocolate chip cookies in bed and binge watching the last few episodes of Tyrant (ummm, anybody else?!?!). Tucker said, "It's not surgery, it's a coup!" and we both looked at each other and grinned. Best line of the night. Then you started talking about how Leslie Hope looked like Ryan Reynolds. Or maybe Evangeline Lilly. We got so tickled that I started taking screen shots of them and making photo collages of them side by side. At one point I was laughing so hard and looked at you and said, "I have no idea what it is we are laughing about." One of of my favorite things is how if something funny, or poignant, or memorable happens in the evening, you almost always text me mid-morning and ask ...
Celebr-EIGHT!
Ella went to the roller rink for a friend's birthday party last year and hasn't stopped talking about it since. Other than strap-on skates in the kitchen, that was her only experience with being on wheels. I've known for at least six months that it was her plan for the party, but her vision was a little different from mine. We were laying in bed, browsing Pinterest several months ago and I mentioned to Josh how much the roller rink would cost and how many kids were included in the party package. Ella looked at me like I had three heads. She said pretty definitively, "I do NOT want to invite fifteen kids". It turns out, she was thinking we would have a few friends over to skate and spend the night. I was thrilled to hear the party was much smaller and more economical than I previously ...
Letters
Dear Slumber Party, We had our ups and downs, but you were the coolest party ever. Ella was so excited to spend the weekend with her besties! What we lost in sleepy, dramatic eight years olds, we gained in roller skating bruises and lots of giggles. Dear Tootlebugs, Your party favors were perfect. The girls were so excited about their matching sleep shirts and I can't wait to share the details in our party posts later this week! Dear Cold Front, Thank you for coming by. We have been dying in 90+ degree weather and are thrilled for a little relief. You should make our football Saturdays significantly more fun. Dear Life Planner, It's about time. How cute are you with your colorful triangles and crazy organization?! Dear Sprained Ankle, Seriously?!?! I didn't even fall that far, but ...
Friday’s List
How about a list for Friday? I had several small things to share that wouldn't otherwise make it into their very own post! 1. So my house looked like this when I got home last night. A hot mess. Did I mention that we're having a slumber party tonight to celebrate Ella's 8th birthday? Yeah, that. I had been trying to get everything clean and organized since the weekend, but with crazy meal prep, school and dance activities it never seemed to happen. On Tuesday, a friend even asked me why I wasn't stressed out about Ella's birthday yet. Well, there is nothing like burning the midnight oil and stress or no stress, I managed to pull it together about 1:30 this morning. 2. A slumber party made for very little decoration and planning, since our main event is pizza and roller skating. We did ...
Happy Birthday, Belly.
I wrote most of this post last year on her birthday. But as I was reading it today, I couldn't think of anything better to say about my beautiful baby girl. My Bells. Ella Bella. Ellsy. Bellsy. Ellie. Ellie Belly. Belly Button. Ella answers to them all. Eight years ago today, I was laying in a hospital room about to get an epidural. I had been there for almost 24 hours and I was OVER labor. We checked in at 4 o'clock on Sunday afternoon and were scheduled for an induction the following morning. I wasn't thrilled about being induced on the fifth anniversary of a national tragedy, but I was already five days overdue and couldn't wait one more minute to see her face. We were restless in the hospital that night, not knowing how the day would play out or how our lives were about to change ...
Trampoline Fun
Ella has been asking for a trampoline for months. The girls had a pretty small one for quite some time, but they've outgrown it and it has been sitting unused in our backyard. She has been adamant that she wanted one for her birthday, but as with all big purchases we waited awhile to make sure she didn't change her mind. I really wanted to go ahead and get it at the beginning of summer, but Josh isn't a fan of early gifts and he thought they would enjoy it more in the fall anyway. He is probably right. If you follow me on Instagram (@tazandbelly), you might have seen this little gem on Saturday morning. She already knew we were planning on picking it up over the weekend and was helping me put together a grocery list while I cleaned out the fridge. I couldn't help but laugh when she ...
Letters
Dear Blog, Again with the neglect. The sad thing is I had posts planned and everything organized on my planner, but between football season, school activities and birthday party planning, I sort of ignored all other responsibilities. I promise to be better this week. Seriously. I have lots to say. Dear Football Season, I never thought I'd see the day where I was excited to welcome you back, but here it is. We had such a great time in Atlanta watching the first Bama game with our friends and I'm looking forward to taking the girls later this year. It will be Sophie's first time at Bryant-Denny and we're gonna start working on that fight song this week. Dear High-School Football, We'll take you, too. There is nothing quite like walking across the street on a Friday night for greasy ...