Be Back Soon

Our vacation to Boca Grande and Homestead is winding down. The whole fam will be truckin back to St. Petersburg in the morning. It has been a wonderful, relaxing week. Lot's of beach and pool time. Naps in the sun. Crackers and cheese and sugar-filled treats. Time for some normalcy, I suppose. Email inboxes are full. Work projects await. Bedtime schedules are much needed. And, hopefully a workout schedule for mom is in my near future! Too many beers and double-stuffed oreos!

I will be sure to post some photos soon!

Happy Birthday Weekend

Happy 35 years to Buck! We celebrated with baseball, cold beer, gardening tools and lunch in Ft. Myers with Grandma and Grandpa. The Rays won. Lily enjoyed her first game. And the beer was good. Can't beat that with a bat!

Weave On With Your Bad Self!

This is so mean, but how could I resist! Here is Lily wearing mommy's weave!

What is the trick?

What is the trick to managing it all? It probably begins with going to bed later, and getting up earlier! Not sure I am ready to commit at that level yet! But our plate is filling up (with all things good and blessed). I feel the buzz of anxiety in my belly and question whether staying static is the answer - or to leap in with both feet?

We are hopeful that our family will be growing soon. Selling soon. Moving soon. Gosh, how will that work? It just will. I know, I know.

All this to say out loud that I am thankful to be worried about growth and possibilities and next steps. What a blessing. And God will always be right there, whispering, "You can do it. You are not alone." One step at a time.

Happy Friday. Lily looked adorable today....here are a couple of photos to make you smile. Always works for me!

Good. Bad.

I will let you decide which is the good behavior, and which needed some Magic Eraser action!

All Things Fun!

When you are 23 months, and the parents of a 23-month-old, all things are fun! Sunglasses, lollipops, strawberries and bubbles! Here are some photos from our Mothers Day lunch at Mimi's house.

How can cookies be so bad for you?

Nothin' but sugar and spice.

Lily crashed a photo shoot at work a couple of months back and hopped right in front of the camera.The photographer (Mike Neilson - amazing...ask me if you are looking for a commercial photog) sent this over to me so that I could practice my photoshopping! He did a little touching up to this one.....and although it doesn't even look like Lily anymore, I had to share!

Whether it is the cookie or kiddie that makes you smile (or both), we hope you enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!

Happy mothers day to all of the very special and dedicated women who inspire me daily!

Happy Anniversary

Friday is our five year anniversary. Hard to believe. Our wedding day was so magical and a day I will always remember vividly. Of course the dress and reception and cake and flowers were beautiful. But more beautiful than any party was the coming together of our favorite people to celebrate the union that became the family we are today. The wedding means so much more today than it did five years ago. And, I imagine it will continue to deepen as the years go by.

What I know now is that marriage is the best challenge you can ask for. It means a slumber party every night - and sometimes one of us ends up being the crying girl locked in the bathroom. But, you get over it and move on. I know that it means I have a partner in everything from household chores to lifelong dreams. I know that it is the definition of family to me. I know it means Lily has a mom and dad who plan and discuss and dream of her future every day. I know it is hard, but right. I know it is easy sometimes and utterly delightful. I know it means a set of arms I can fall in to whenever I want. I know I have never been so mad at anyone in my life. I know I have never wanted to apologize to someone faster in my life. I know it is only for Buck and me to understand, to live, to "get it", to fight for.

So for all of you who were with us in flesh or spirit five years ago, thank you again for being our support system and fans! And for the new friends we have made along the way, thank you for blessing our lives.

Here is a link to our wedding song/first dance. It still brings a smile to my face. Happy anniversary lovie! Here is to five more and five more after that, and another five, and......

Oh, The Tears!

How to make it all better: blueberries!

These days Lily cries when I brush her teeth, wash her hair, dry her hair, comb her hair, dress her, put her shoes on, buckle her in the car seat.....you name it, if I am the "doer" she is crying. Her Papa on the other hand, can do no wrong! And so it begins.

I know what this is. I knew it was coming. As my mom has told me, "If you are doing your job right, your kids won't "like" you very much."

The good news is that I know she LOVES me. I know she LOVES to fall asleep in my arms. I know she LOVES to jump into my lap when I pick her up at school. I know she LOVES to hold my hand when we walk side by side.

I am good with that. Better than good actually.

Sorry kiddo, I have to dry your hair and brush your teeth - tears or no tears.

Sneak Peek for Mom

Ok Mom.....you asked for a sneak peek! If you don't want to see, don't watch the video! Love you.

First delivery is in the mail.....

Thank you to two of my best friends and first customers! I am shipping these notecards out in the morning.....I think they are fabulously adorable! I hope their moms love them! I am sending lots of TLC in these boxes.

More news - tonight we installed our new fancy-dancy printer and it is GREAT! I am so thrilled. I wish I had it two days ago before I printed these orders. But moving forward, my print quality is really, really good! 

Specially thanks to everyone who is taking my new endeavor as seriously as I am! It is so nice to have support. Buck and Lily helped me pick out the printer and paper and ink.....and stood by patiently as I went back and forth between printers, second guessing myself and asking the salesman at least five zillion questions!

In this little corner I am starting a small little project. But it makes my heart so happy. I am so invested in learning everything I can and exploring my creativity and visions. Even if Sincerely never takes off as I hope it will, this journey has been amazing so far!