Still

There are still days when I am consumed by the wonder that this child, this perfect little girl is mine.

All these things I want to tell you

It's been a while since I've been around here at my blog. I miss it when I'm not here, much more than I really think I could or should. Then I come back, and everything that has been bubbling away in the back of my mind tries to spill out on the page.  

So many things I want to tell you.   Many more than could really be coherent in one blog post. 

So let me just do a quick catch-you-up, and we'll move on from there.

 Hmmm....where to begin...

-I have been devouring books this summer- staying up way too late reading on most nights.  I've always read a lot, but I can't seem to get enough these days.  These are the books adorning my nightstand right now.  

-I co-taught a class this summer at the U on Community Engaged Research. Although it's always a big time commitment,  I LOVE teaching. I so enjoy the interaction, the conversations, the ideas that happen in the classroom. I always learn as much as my students do - probably more than they do, to be honest.

-My work is going very well.  I feel so incredibly blessed to have a job that I love, and that allows me to support myself and Riley.  I really enjoy the people I work with, and the projects I work on. Want to check out what I'm working on a lot these days? Yes? Ok, go here.

 -Riley is in Kindercamp this summer (basically, it's a small class at her preschool that is supposed to her get ready for Kindergarten) and she is loving it. They keep a very busy schedule, and most days she comes home ready to drop, but she's having a ball.  They've gone on a bunch of field trips, and her dad has chaperoned several of them- Red Butte Gardens, the Fire Station, even Rock Climbing.  I'm glad that he's participating in her life in this way, and I'm very grateful that we can work together to parent Riley in a healthy, happy way. 

-My sister and her family came to visit for a week, and the time I got to spend with them was so fun!

Man, oh Man!  I just adore this little family.  
My niece is so funny and determined and fiesty and so so so cute!

And my nephews...MY NEPHEWS!  Such sweet little men! I'm completely smitten with them!

-Summer is in full swing right now, and Riley and I are having a lot of fun outdoors (when it's not too crazy hot) and having some crafty adventures inside when the sun is just too strong for our fair skin. 

 

I'm going to try to be better about showing up here on a more consistent basis.  I have some ideas that I want to incorporate here and I'm going to try to spend some time on the layout and design when I get a chance.   You know, someday...

Overall, things really are great here in my corner of the world.
Say it with me now:  Life is gooooood.  

Grateful for...

*a newly purged and organized bedroom for the Girl
*new methods for dealing with an old annoyance
*mental health days
*strength training
*quality time on my bike
*dairy-free green smoothies
*nieces and nephews
*a long walk with a good friend
*menu planning
*faith building moments
*summertime reading
*journal writing
*family who watches out for us 
*random texts with sweet messages
*really being heard

What are you grateful for?

Check.

Over the weekend, we spent a fantastic day with good friends, enjoying perfect weather and great company.  And as a bonus, Riley got to check off the first item on our summer bucket list. 

We went for a little hike up Toll Canyon - close to Park City.  The scenery was beautiful, the trail easy and accomodating, but the kiddos found the river to be the highlight of the hike. 

 

Well, I know Riley did, anyway.  The Girl's a water-baby, for sure. 

 

 Thanks, Brenna, Jeff, Luke and Arlo!  It was such a great day!

What we'll be doing this summer

Summer Bucket List

Wow!  Tomorrow is June 1st!  JUNE!  I honestly cannot figure out where May went.  I knew it would be a very busy month, with tons of work and personal commitments (hence, little blogging), but it was even busier than I imagined. I'm happy to be able to take a breathe now that the chaos is getting under control and really think about how I want to spend the summer.

Because my life is so full of "have to do's", I have begun to be really intentional about where I spend my (very limited) free time. I want to spend it doing things I enjoy, with people I love, rather than just letting it pass by.

Summer is my favorite season - I love the more relaxed pace, the chance to be outdoors, the many festivals and events, and the general spirit of play and adventure.  I want to make the most of this summer, the last summer before my Girl enters school (Kindergarten this year - I KNOW, Right?!) and make sure we are focusing our time on the things we really want to do.  So- we talked about it and came up with our "Summer 2012 Bucket List." 

Brainstorming this list with Riley was a lot of fun.  She surprised me with some of the items she added to the list, especially "watch a baseball game."  She hasn't shown much interest in this before, but....ok!  Let's do it.  She also added "Red Butte Gardens" to the list - she loves the walking trails and the flowers there and I am more than happy to spend time with her outdoors.  The items I am the most excited about - "Go see Aunt Becky" and "Farmer's Market Photos" (with one of my favorite people - Alisha.) 

I'm excited about our bucket list and VERY excited about the upcoming summer.
So what about you? What will you be doing this summer? 

Bring on summer! Bring on the happy!

 

*Sidewalk chalk art

*Swimming lessons

*Outdoor concerts 

*Pedicures 

*Long holiday weekends 

*Summer nights in Bear Lake 

*Afternoons by the pool 

*Coca-cola slurpees 

*Riding my bikes

*Baseball games 

*Flip flops

*Watermelon for breakfast, lunch and dinner

*Evenings on our rooftop deck

*Hiking 

*Fireworks 

*Paddle boarding

*Rose gardens in bloom 

*Sprinklers and slip-n-slides 

*Festivals 

*Birthday parties 

*Barbecues 

*Camping

*Trampolines 

*5Ks, 10Ks and maybe a Tri or two

 

I love summer -can you tell? 
There are so many things to get happy about!
So c'mon! Get HAPPY!

Little rewards

Riley locked herself in the bathroom today.  I figured she was working on some elaborate hairdo or makeup look, so I didn't worry about the time she was in there or the bangs and bumps I kept hearing from behind the closed door.  When she was done,  she grabbed me by the hand and ushered me in, singing that she had a "big surprise" for me.

She had cleaned the bathroom. For me.  All by herself.  Because, in her words, she wanted to "show me that she loved me by doing something nice." 

Of course, it wasn't perfect.  I could see that she had used the decorative hand towels to mop the floor and it appeared she wiped the mirror and countertops down using her detangling spray.  But things were picked up and put in the right spot, and overall, she had done a pretty decent job.

She declared it "sparkling clean" with a huge, proud smile on her face.  I declared it "absolutely perfect" because, well...I think it is.

It seems like, as a mother, we have those days when it feels like we give and do and work and help, with little reward or recognition (at least, I have those kind of days.)  But little moments like these remind me that I have a little girl who, somewhere along the way,  learned that it's important to show others that we love them through our actions.   And her actions today spoke volumes to me.

A clean bathroom is nice, but above it all is this truth:  I love this little girl.  She loves me back.  That's all the reward I need.