These Little Moments...

My dearest Gracie, I feel so very grateful to be celebrating this 6 th birthday with you! God certainly blessed our family when He decided that we should be your parents. You are such a special little girl, with so many wonderful qualities. It has been a true joy to watch you grow into the little lady you now are. You are such a beautiful soul – a mix of quiet and shy, wild and sassy. You are a wonderful student and friend, and I always hear from others how sweet you are. You set yourself free at home, which I love, and transform into this wild, imaginative ninja-princess, which is just the coolest thing ever. You and your brother play together so well, most of the time. I absolutely love watching the two of you run and chase each other in the backyard, creating your own little imaginary worlds. You are 6 going on 16, for sure. We have our moments and I’m learning just how to handle your moods. I’m discovering that you are simply your own person, with your own emotions, though...

This almost-six-year-old celebrated her birthday on Saturday! Instead of a big party, including friends, family, and classmates, Gracie decided she'd like something smaller, with just a couple of her best friends. We made appointments for the girls to have manicures and pedicures, Gracie's first time! We then took the three girls to lunch, and ended our party time at Gigi's Cupcakes, where we sang Happy Birthday and opened gifts. The two other mothers stayed and hung out with me, so it worked out really well and was kind of like a Mother/Daughter get-together, too! It was fun watching the girls get pampered! Gracie chose a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcake! YUM!

After spectating at the guys' Tough Mudder event last October, the ladies were feeling inspired. We decided shortly after to register for the Rugged Maniac, a 5k obstacle/mud run. Our hope was that we would be able to train during the months leading up to the run, so that we would be well-prepared for the various obstacles we would face. I can't say that I actually was "well-prepared" (this mama doesn't have a lot of time or energy for a training plan), but I  can  say that we had a blast, despite the lack of training! Before the race began, the participants were greeted with a wall to climb over, which then put us at the starting line. We were feeling motivated and accomplished, having successfully made it past our first "obstacle". Danyell (my best friend since middle school), my sister, and my mom started the race with me. About an hour or so into the run, we finally found the rest of our team: Megan, Samantha, and Jenifer. They were d...

Yesterday was one of the hardest days of my life. My sweet Kitty fell asleep peacefully in my arms, as Sean and I kissed her tiny head and whispered that we loved her. There were many tears as I carefully, and so very reluctantly, passed her to our wonderful, compassionate veterinarian. Her little life had met its ending. I will be forever grateful that the last voices she heard were mine and Sean’s, and that the last thing she felt was our gentle rubs and kisses. Ethan was with us during this incredibly sad moment and even he gave her the sweetest kisses, not understanding the reality of what we were facing. It helps tremendously that I believe she knew she was loved. Kitty became noticeably sick just a little over two weeks ago. From that point on, she stopped eating, stopped drinking, and stopped cleaning herself. After multiple vet visits, x-rays, blood-work, fluids for dehydration, medications for a possible infection, syringe feedings, and appetite stimulants, we scheduled a...