Dear Monday, Thanks for showing up so quickly. You always manage to ruin the perfect weekend. Dear Alabama Football, Thanks for being much kinder to us this weekend. Our Saturday was filled with good friends (and pretty babies), corn hole and more barbecue that one could possible eat. The day was going to be pretty much perfect anyway, but a 59-0 finish over Texas A&M certainly helped. Dear The Most Amazing Dry Shampoo of All Time, Thank you for making me look completely put together and CLEAN, even when I'm not. I have successfully worn three-day hair to work on numerous occasions in the last few weeks because of you. Dear Jerry Seinfeld, Why can't I seem to find the bit I'm looking for on YouTube? You know, the one you've opened with every time we've seen you live? Where you ...
letters
Letters
Dear Sophie, I thought for sure you would take to elementary school like a champ. You seem so grown up and four year old kindergarten is all you talked about for months before classes started. We picked out a backpack and talked about navigating the cafeteria. We visited your classroom and got you all ready to meet new friends. As eager as you were, school has not been without it's challenges. I worry a lot that we did the right thing, sending you a year early. If we had kept you at home one more year, would you be more ready? Would you have settled down a little and be easier to engage? Or would we be facing these same tears, but during a more critical year of instruction? Last week you came home and told me, "Did you know they don't even let you watch TV during naptime?!" as if it ...
Letters
Dear Ella, It's barely been a month since your eighth birthday and I feel like you've changed so much already. I can see so much growth in such a short period of time. Second grade is hard, but you are thriving. I am so impressed with your knowledge and your enthusiasm for learning. You rarely complain about homework and you will give up anything to squeeze in extra reading time. We have to fill out a daily reading chart to show how many much you are reading independently. The maximum number of minutes on the chart is sixty, so naturally your goal is to read at least that many minutes each day. You read at Gran's in the afternoon before I pick you up. You read at night while you're waiting on dinner. You read by flashlight long after you're supposed to be asleep. On Saturday mornings, ...
Letters
Dear Blog Friends, Today is when I would normally type some letters to random things to fill you in on the little things that don't often get blogged about. Instead, I just thought I'd write you a letter and tell you a little bit about what I'm thinking. Taz + Belly has been in a little bit of a flux the past few weeks as I try to figure out some kind of regular posting schedule to help me not feel so overwhelmed. I love writing here, not only to preserve our memories for our little people and so we can read about our youth when we're old and gray, but I love connecting with you -- my virtual friends. I go through spurts where I blog often and then life happens and I feel guilty for not keeping up. There are posts with many comments and follow up emails and others with lots of crickets. I ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...