To all lovers of Crepe Paper

It has always been a tradition in my family to decorate the birthday girls door, or at least to decorate the bathroom mirror with crepe paper and or anything fun you could find. My mom was always the best. For my 16th birthday (my golden birthday) she bought yellow crepe paper and wizard of oz paper plates and such - to play on the gold theme - plus it is my favorite movie by far. She was also a great Santa, Tooth Fairy and Easter Rabbit - but that is another post. I have carried on this tradition for my college roommates - friends at work - and my husband. Exhibit A: B's first father's day.

We named the bull George. It is a little bit more humorous when you realize my husband is Hispanic - which i love to give him grief about since I am pale as a ghost. Obviously Emily has his tan ;o) But ya he got a pinata and chocolate milk for father's day...and a wake up call at 6 am. He thought the house was burning down when I yelled for him...I just wanted him to see my decorations.

So as promised here is proof my daughter is going to be trouble in the near future - try the next five minutes. She is a ham to the full extent, flirts with old men at the grocery stores, restaurants, home improvement stores etc. I swear she even throws out a wink or two. She already walks all over dad. She has grandpa on floor playing silly games and then beats grandpa up off the floor, not an even match.

As for me I don't fall for her tricks, I know them all too well...

Really I do...where do you think she learned them from...

Motherly love

Now I do not give my self a gold star on being a mother, quite the opposite...I am the one who is okay if their kid eats dirt, tries to climb the stairs by themselves, love on all animals. My husband - he is on the other spectrum...uber protective.

My favorite quote from my mother (while I was pregnant) "I was worried you weren't going to have kids, I was always afraid you would eat them or something...) Thanks mom, but it was true.

But I love Emily - that is her name (again probably breaking some mom rule by posting her name - but it is such a good name - Emily Aurelia V.). She has my sass, her dads humor and her own will and determination. Also she has great fashion sense already - she plays with my shoes and drapes my winter scarves over her shoulders and brings me her sunglasses to be "groove baby".

But there is one mother that truly inspires me right now - not to become a mom that I am not, not to be more religious than I am...but to have a spirit that can endure, a spirit that can find beauty and truth in sorrow, a spirit that can remain so giving and uplifting when something so treasured is gone.

Her name is Natalie Norton, and if you have time stop by her blog. Send her your love, and be inspired by hers. She is truly LOVE.

And I believe I have O.D. on my niceness for the day...more sass on the way