Thankful

And I'm back... More things to be thankful for this (long) weekend. I can't remember what number I was on, so I'm going to start over...

1.





Weekends away with Daddy. I swear, every time we go away and Lily gets more intense "one on one" time with Daddy, this bond grows stronger and stronger and more adorable.


Lily conned Daddy into this "cat!!!" this weekend.

My personal favorite Daddy moment of the weekend and my maybe my life... When pointing out a Dad and 2 daughters to my husband (who was positive we were having a boy) this weekend and telling him that could be him someday, he said (drum roll, please), "I'd be okay with that." I seriously reared up. (You're welcome, Rob, for me sharing this with the whole world. It was just too good to pass up.)

2. Family that Lily doesn't quite remember become best friends when she finds out they have cats!!












Even Gampa Jim joined in the cat hunting fun!

3. Best friends.




4. Roadtrips where Rob stops the radio on "Marry Me Bill" and lets me belt it out (no picture necessary), we get to stop at the outlet mall and I see this in the backseat...




5. Going home to the puppies, our cozy bed, packages, a new Gilmore Girls DVD from netflix, a possible bonfire in the fall weather and ONE MORE DAY with "DA"! Bonus!! :)

Giving Thanks

I'm just going to admit it. I've been a crabby patty lately. I've spent a lot of time feeling sorry for myself about house problems, computer problems, fantasy football taking over my life problems. You get the picture. And really, don't we all? At least to some extent? (Please just say, "yes.") The truth is that in these moments I need to step back. I absolutely love my life... and I'm not just saying that. Sure, I have little things to complain about, just like everyone else. But no big things. And that's surely something to celebrate.

This week's biggest thing of all? The thing that started it all. The thing that made this beautiful life possible... marrying my husband. Three years ago tomorrow. Time sure flies when you're having fun.








The next amazing thing to be thankful about is another amazing person. My Mom. I couldn't be luckier. She's absolutely my best friend and the best Mom and Grandma a girl could ask for. And even better? We're lucky enough that she lives only a few small miles away so we get to do things like this all the time...





And I can't forget person number 3. My girl. :) As the days pass, the challenges are coming faster, but so are the joys. She may throw an absolute fit about shoes, but how can you deny the girl when it produces looks like this?





Today, she insisted on putting them on herself... on the wrong feet. And there was no taking them off... But how can you not love that smile?





(Can I just add that as I'm typing this, she just saw herself and screamed "BOOTS!!!" with pure joy.)

So I'm taking a deep breath and remembering that life really is beautiful. Trying not to stress the small stuff, or even the stuff that seems big now, but in the long run will turn small. We're enjoying the little things that life has to offer and giving thanks.

The way it feels...

Tangled up in my baby's snuggles.
A million "Mom"s that will grow fewer each year.
Remembering the way it feels.
To be needed. Loved.
So completely.
And to love back unconditionally.
Knowing she will always be my baby.
If only in my memory.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The life of a Dancing Queen

Picture you're laying in bed snuggling your sleepy little girl watching "ya ya" (yo gabba gabba) one more time before she drifts to sleep. All the sudden, a song comes on and your comatose girl turns into one of the acts from America's Got Talent. She bolts upright, demands a hand from you and your husband each and wiggles and jiggles her body like there's no tomorrow. What do you expect? If there's music, no matter what the circumstance, sister's gotta dance!!! This is a part of our everyday life nowadays and we find it hilarious (and sometimes annoying)... But mostly awesome. ;)

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Another rather recent addition to our household dynamic... The love between a girl and her dog... Lily and "Tucka". The first thing Lily does every morning is call for Tucker. "Where Tucka? Tucka!!" She then proceeds to spend the day following poor Tucker everywhere and calling him if he so much as looks like he might be walking in another room. And though I do feel a bit bad for Wrigley, I find her adoration for my first love endearing and adorable.

Favorite Moments of our Trip

The 1st night at the hotel where the energizer bunny replaced Lily bunny jumping on beds and running around until late in the night.

Lily finally loved the water, but said "oh no, yuck!" when her feet brushed the sand.








Lily saying "awesome" for the first time mimicking Yo Gabba Gabba.

Family snuggles.

Smelly fish at fishtown.

Visiting with the Farrs in Bowers Cove and finding out Lil is definitely a "boat person".





Lunch outside overlooking the bay.





Family dancing.

New words "airplane", "boat", "okay" and "duck".

A room service date that Lily insisted on staying awake for.

South shore sandwiches.

Buying Lil her own bag of "M's" to eat.





The way my girl loves her Daddy and the way her Daddy loves her.





Falling in love with my husband all over again.

The Oneskos Take Traverse City

It's Wednesday night and that only means one thing... The greatest week of the year so far is winding down. Tomorrow's our last full day in Traverse City and time sure has flown by.









We started out our week exploring a great new find, Empire Beach. This picturesque little gem is located right near the sand dunes and was a perfect beginner beach playground for our girl. No water yet and only as much sand as she could reach from the blanket, but rock counting with Daddy was a big hit!

















The rest of our vacation has been rained out for the most part, but hasn't lacked a minute of fun. We've cherished every moment of family time with Daddy and spent our time visiting Fishtown, our favorite restaurant, Mackinaw Brewing Company, chatting with birdies and even making memories chilling out in the hotel.





















Wish we could spend every day with Daddy, but loving the time we have!

Girls' Week

I am writing right now starring at the beautiful new yummy smelling, puppy whimpering, chest snuggling...

Claire Ellen Shaffer

Life couldn't be better!

My friend, Amy, is a rockstar. Seriously folks. This girl delivered a beautiful new baby a month ago, already looks like a supermodel and... get this... is staying home a few nights a week ALONE with her bubbly 3 year old and her new little bundle of joy. Amy's husband, Chris, just recently got a new job a few hours away, so the poor guy has to leave his family for a few nights a week and Amy has taken it like a trooper. I've watched it first hand and she is the stuff dreams are made of. Super Mom. Lily and I got to join her for the first few nights of this and I've been taking notes... I don't think I could do this well with one kid, no less, two. As a result of the new situation, however, Lil and I got to enjoy some "girls only" time with some of our favorite girls.

I know I've said it before, but it so unbelievably amazing the feeling I get spending time hanging out with people that need no pretense. Amy holds every story and loves me for my greatest triumphs and despite my greatest faults. It's a feeling of total acceptance and the ability to just truly relax and be me with my kid and with her kids, too. The best.

Another great surprise during this trip was the chance to get to spend time with another old friend that Amy and I lived with, Caroline. Caroline brought her gorgeous girl, Sydney with her and we all got the opportunity to catch up and fall back into the exact place we were six years ago... with the addition of four little mini-me munchkins.

The day ended with sad goodbyes to Caroline and Sydney, but a little late night fun with the leftover girls.

"Because the truth is... it was the best of times. Mistakes were made, hearts were broken, harsh lessons learned, but all of that has receded into fond memory now. How does it happen? Why are we so quick to forget the bad and romanticize the good? Maybe it's because we need to believe that the time we spent together actually meant something, that we were there for each other in a time in our lives that defined us all, a time in our lives that we will never forget. I can't swear this is exactly how it happened. But this is how it felt." ~Dawson's Creek