Post coming soon, but it’s late and nothing sounds better at this moment than crawling into bed with my babies, so a quick little video from today for now.

This just barely catches the bits of magic happening between my girls lately. Nella crawls the fastest, fights the hardest, pushes the most determined when the prize on the other side is her sister. Today, we caught Lainey teaching Nella how to say “dog” with her flashcards. And the little student performed. The big sister taught the little sister how to say “dog,” and my heart could not be happier.

Happiness is…
…making sure to jump up and tap every reachable branch above you on an afternoon run. And then screaming “YES!” after you do it.

Happiness is…
…the “I trust you” face that prefaces the stomach-flipping delight of a daddy toss.

Happiness is…
…spring driveway car washes. Preferably when the cars are small and plastic and passed down from big brothers who used to Flinstone-pedal down this same driveway years ago.

Happiness is…
…the heart-swelling feeling of “she belongs to me.”

Earrings, Miss Scarlet from Linkel Designs.

Happiness is…
…a Friday afternoon ballet recital, enthusiastically performed in our living room by Dot the Great and Lainey.

Happiness is…
…my soon-to-be stepfather who took a detour from his Orlando trip to come visit us. Yup, stepdad. Remember the EHarmony story? Well, my mom and George are happy and in love and later this spring, we will be driving to Michigan where my brother and sister and I will be giving my mom away. And that makes me happy. Because he makes her happy. And that will give my kids a fifth grandpa which is just plain cool.

Happiness is…
…four kids, two moms, and one overpriced bag of cotton candy at the Collier County Fair.

Happiness is…
…laughing at my girl who begged to ride the hamster wheel but just sat all shy and quiet in it during the entire ten minute ride.

Happiness is…
…being a kid again.

Happiness is…
…coming home with dirty feet and clothes that smelled like grease and cows and corndogs but, even better, a conked-out kid who would awaken with stories. Of rides and animals and cotton fluff that melted into sugary puddles on her tongue.

Happiness is…
…her “front gate” teeth. Crooked little pearls that make me smile.

Happiness is…
…tiny french braids. She is still and quiet as I braid, and I am careful to weave her hair as gently as I can so she continues to agree to this new braiding ritual. It makes me happy in that I-dreamed-of-this-when-I-was-twelve way. Because I always wanted a little girl who’d let me braid her hair ever since our old neighbor, April Shea, braided mine. She was in high school, she was cool, and she did the best french braids–no bumps. Because, God, there was nothing worse than going to school with bumpy braids. And I liked the way she used the wrong end of the comb to split my hair into the world’s straightest part…and the way I shivered when the comb hit the nape of my neck. I’m gonna perfect April Shea’s method, I am.

Happiness is…
…this.

Happiness is…
…cool contests.

I would like to announce a photo contest for my friends in the Down syndrome community. Conny Wenk and I provided photos for the book Diagnosis to Delivery: A Pregnant Mother’s Guide to Down Syndrome. DownSyndromePregnancy.org is moving on to other projects, which includes several booklets as well as Spanish translations. It will take some time to complete each of these projects, and quality photography will be an important part of each of them.

If you have a quality photo of your child with Down syndrome, you can submit it to me at kellehamptonblog@comcast.net. Please title your subject line PHOTO CONTEST. Your photo may be selected to be a part of DownSyndromePregnancy’s future projects, or appear on its blog.

While all photos are welcome, photography which features extended family, and photography showing fathers are of particular importance. Also, photos reflecting ethnic diversity are being sought as well. Please provide a sentence or two which identifies the individuals in the photo and their relationship to the person with Down syndrome, as well as ethnicity if important.

In order for photography to be used, the following criteria must be met:

1) You must own the copyright;
2) You must agree to full license for use by DownSyndromePregnancy.org.
3) Photos must be submitted in .tiff or .jpg files

There will be no financial payment for the use of such photos.

The text of the first booklet, “Your Loved One is Having a Baby with Down Syndrome” is complete. Photos, and funding for the design work is all that is needed to have a wonderful resource for the extended family and friends of parents learning of a diagnosis of Down syndrome.

I look forward to seeing all of those beautiful faces!

Giveaway Winner for the Bambaroos gift certificate: Comment #16, Tabitha: Thanks for sharing this today…it was good to hear and made me reminisce about my own childhood memories. also beautiful pictures and what pretty oranges!

Tabitha, please e-mail your info to kellehamptonblog@comcast.net, and some pretties will hit your mailbox soon!

Have a happy weekend. It’s a good weekend for dancing.

Happiness is…
…present.
Find it.

There are two essentials to a good morning–coffee and kids at my feet.

Yesterday, I woke up not feeling it. It, as in anything. Nella’s battling molars along with her normal Baby Jedi vs. Sleep routine, and I had a trillion things to do but felt exhausted…which led to the escalation of small frustrations such as, say, maybe I lost my mind when I couldn’t find a pen. But, that’s when rising to the occasion means the most…when you don’t feel it. Like getting out of bed when it’s still dark to go for a run when you swear you just can’t. That’s when the run feels the best and when the satisfaction of overcoming “I don’t wanna” is most rewarding. There’s a badass within us all, and finding her when she’s lost is like raising your fists and thrusting your sweaty body through the finish line tape after a long, exhausting race. I found her again. I found my badass ultra ego, and you know what? I named her Betty.

Well, hello there little finish line.

Some days I’ll settle for not getting out, for giving in to “I don’t wanna,” but I couldn’t let St. Patty down.

I packed up the girls and headed to Rock the Dock which is basically an Irish event of loud bands and corned beef baskets down at Tin City, a quaint touristy strip of shell shops, beer shacks, and boardwalk in south Naples.

We did that whole nothing-but-so-very-something routine of walking and talking and stopping to let curious little minds explore.

And I was happy we were out, jammin’ to Irish jigs, browsing soap shops, hittin’ up the general store for cold sherbet push-ups when everything inside me earlier told me it wasn’t gonna happen. Go Betty.

So there. That’s all I got this Friday. That and my made-up Irish blessing that goes something like (read it in an Irish accent)…May the blessed badass that dwells within you deliver when you need her most. Amen.

That and another oh.

And, I might call her Betty, but any mama knows…the most powerful driving force that pulls out the best of us and electrifies our energy is really known by another name…or two.

We’re just chillin’ this weekend. And my girl is very involved in helping plan her birthday party this year which will be here before we know it. So, we’ve begun the fun. Giddy up.

(and a friend photo from earlier this week I can’t leave out…totally love this shot that captures both of them just as they are) …


Spring is still blooming, and I fell in love with all the flowery, spring goods in the super-stocked shop of our new sponsor, Linkel Designs (a stay-at-home Michigan mama).

Loving my new vintage bike necklace!

Some of my spring favorites from Linkel that had me drooling (but all incredibly affordable! Would make great Easter basket or Mother’s Day treats. Check it out!):

Use Code ENJOY10 for 10% off your order, and a lucky commenter will be randomly selected from this post to win a $30 gift certificate, provided by Linkel Designs. Keeping it interesting. Tell me 5 things you’re tired of and 5 things you’re not.

I’ll start.

Tired of…Finding moldy coffee cups, malls, minivan doors that keep closing even when you’re in the way, Real Housewives, beige walls.
Not Tired of…Little Bear, Dunkin Donuts coffee, Nella’s side-swept barrette, Lainey’s crooked smirk, taking pictures.

Happy Weekend! If you get a chance…name your inner badass.

Forgot to mention…we’re thrilled to have Babycenter.com sharing the birth story, Embracing Nella, this week.