Stoppin’ in real quick today.

I have little words among many emotions and a happening schedule right now. I scour bathtubs for incoming guests, cut tissue paper for party blooms, reflect on this same week one year ago and strive to stretch open meaningful gaps of time where I’m fully present with my family…but forgiving myself when I’m not quite there.

A sudden drop-everything-and-head-out-the-door trip to the park yesterday was needful and reawakening.

…and there’s lots I could say but really, truly, I need to be someplace else right now. We have a busy week, and I am contemplating every memory, emotion, victory and moment. I am happy to be here, in this place, celebrating. While she will celebrate her birthday, I will celebrate her Birth Day. They are intricately different and yet intertwined in emotion and purpose, and the celebration of both will be good and healing.

And this one?

Not to be left out, I assure you. I call it “our party” because that it is…a celebration of family and growth and a whole lot of love…for all of us. She made me a mama, and I wouldn’t know how to do this if it wasn’t for her.

Thank you for your continued efforts in helping to make this birthday special by donating and sharing the important message of acceptance and awareness. Nella’s ONEder Fund will be rockin’ until a little past her birthday and now accepts PayPal. And the video is still being shared, so thank you.

And the following shops have all offered to donate part of their proceeds to the ONEder Fund:

* 100% of the cards in the “Nella’s Rockstars” section and 10% of the other cards, at WJC Designs through Feb 28th
* 10% of sales from Heal My Sole skin products until January 31st
* 15% of profits from Dirt and Lace (blog & print design) (until January 24)
* 10% of sales from The Pink Pickle
* $5 from the sale of every pair of Nella’s Rockstar Flip Flops
* 10% profits from any sale at Trisha’s Stella and Dot Site
* 10% of all store proceeds from Loving Shop Tutus (until January 24th).
* 10% of all store proceeds from The Meg Shop Jewelry (until January 31st).
* All proceeds from the Nella Cordelia shoe at Pitter Patter Booties
(bootie was sold out but keep checking…more coming)
* 31% of total purchase from Little Painted Polda Dots Personalized Art using code NELLA at checkout 31% of their total purchase to go to ONEder Fund and each customer will receive free shipping and a surprise amount gift certificate for a future purchase. (until January 25)
* 47% of all proceeds from Bekima Knits (until midnight January 21st)
* 100% all cupcake earrings from Gypsy Lane Studio Jewelry (until Feb 19th)
* 10% of all sales from Candle Conversations (until end of February)
* 40% of all profits from Tahnie’s Stella and Dot Jewelry (through January 27th)
(For this site go to ‘Next’ in the upper right hand corner. Underneath StyleWatch, there’s a link that says ‘Can’t make it to the trunk show? Find your hostess’ Click on that. Put in ‘Nella’s ONEder Fund’ for the hostess information, Nella’s for the first name and ONEder Fund for the last. Click search. It will say ‘the party starts on January 13th.’ Go ahead and click on Nella’s ONEder Fund, click continue and shop!)

Celebrating Life.

I don’t know much about football. I know what a running back is, what a quarterback is, and I know that thick spandex stretched across a grown man’s backside makes for a nice tight end. Not that I’m lookin’.

I don’t have to know a lot about the game though to understand that when you’re watching a big game at a sports bar where a sea of navy & orange-wearing fans are joined to cheer, and your husband’s favorite team scores a touchdown, you jump and holler like it’s nobody’s business.

Go Bears.

Our Bears-loving comrades, John & Suzanne.

Nella learned the name of the game real quick. They score, we cheer. We cheered a lot yesterday (my condolonces, Seattle. I still like your coffee.)

And I certainly don’t have to like football to like the idea of the celebration of people all coming together to root for something. There’s an infectious energy that wafts about the sports bar as big jersey-wearing guys bellied up at the bar clink glasses, spill beer and shout their approval. And we cheered with them from our table-turned-playground where baskets of hot wings were tucked into the small surface not covered with crayons and books and Polly Pocket dolls. To be honest, I don’t really care who wins. I just like the big to-do of yet another occasion that brings people together for a common cause…to celebrate.

We did a lot of that this weekend.

Our not-so-tiny twin friends turned one.

And we danced and sang and remembered when we welcomed them a whole year ago. Happy Birthday, Cash & Rocco.

It seems today is an appropriate day to celebrate all this togetherness, and I can’t help but let this glorious theme steep a bit in my mind right now. There may be different ways and measures of acquiring the need to feel united, to celebrate something good, but when it all boils down, the fact remains that I am fueled by the victories of the past, the potential of the present and the promise of the future. As cliche’ as it may be to link this all up with Martin Luther King Jr. today, I can’t help myself. I’ll spare you with the “I have a dream” speech and simply say that MLK paved the road with some impressive unifying achievements and fearlessly challenged people to dream bigger for a better world. I am inspired by the fact that the small things we are doing today can do the same. While there is war and hatred and discrimination in our world at this very moment, there is also a growing number of people who are working to create a culture where everyone is valued and celebrated. You’ve been doing it for over a week now, and there’s almost $70,000 to speak for it.

So, if you’ve ever basked in the joy of celebration–in blowing out candles or leaping off the couch to cheer a touchdown, in clinking glasses to toast a new year, a new job, a new baby, in huddling around warm flames to tell stories, to catch up– you know what it feels like. And it’s good, eh?
I have a dream alright…a dream that there’ll be plenty more of it this week, and I’m pretty sure it’s comin’ true.

The girls modeling togetherness in Lainey’s latest favorite game: Pirate Boat Ride. Where quilts are boats, wooden spoons are paddles, dogs are pirates, and Lainey looks a little bit like Rambo.

This week, we are continuing the celebratory theme as we make the twenty-minute trip to the airport a handful of times to pick up loved ones and I, a half hour before they arrive, madly throw things into closets and drawers to prepare for their arrival.

There’s plenty to do in the meantime.

I was just about ready to snap the photo on the right above when I *clicked* right as Swiper interfered (see left).

Rockin’ it together-style.

The ONEder Fund’s still rockin’ until this Saturday. But you’re certainly welcome to come knockin’ by sharing THIS video or donating HERE. And many have shared that their employers have matched their donations, so it doesn’t hurt to check if yours does too! Thank you from the bottom of my celebratin’ heart.

This afternoon’s rain calls for wet boots and puddle dancing.

With Lainey, of course, sportin’ her favorite cape from renewed sponsor Pip & Bean. Happy to have them on board again, and loved hearing from several of you that your kids rocked some Pip & Bean capes this Christmas too. We love ours!

Happy Monday!
Life’s most urgent question is, what are you doing for others?
~Martin Luther King Jr.