my craving for alone time with my cubby, just the two of us, had to be satiated.

so, we had a date today…she in her lavender dress and maryjanes and i in my jeans and flip-flops. first it was a trip to sweet treats where i let her do her thing with her most-gigantic-sprinkled-ice-cream-cone-you’ve-ever-seen (and also happened to be the best tasting ice cream i’ve ever had…even with the sprinkles).

then (after a change out of her sticky, cone-dripped dress), it was to the library where we read bunny books, cozied up to the giant teddy bear and read to the pups. yup, there were pups in our library…a program the library runs every third saturday where kids get to cuddle up to real pups and read them stories. lainey was in heaven. dogs. books. giant teddy bears.

…and somewhere between it all, i got choked up…just looking at her and thinking…

…and i just think she’s the most amazing thing ever. so beautiful and spirited and loving, and i feel so honored to walk next to her and hold her hand and know that this little thing has a mommy…and that mommy is me. me.
and at moments, i see myself in her. and her daddy too. and somehow, we managed to get the best of both…and then a little bit of her own thing too. and i guess this isn’t news to anyone, but still…it just astounds me. especially now that her personality is being unpeeled every day…little bits of that baby cacoon breaking off, revealing our beautiful butterfly.

speaking of personality, she found a string of ball fringe in my ribbon box today and took it upon herself to put on a variety show in front of the mirror for us while we all laughed behind her…

…and yesterday, she and brandyn read books in the yard, melting our hearts (and any onlooking neighbors, i’m sure) to puddles.

(playing with ttv frames for giant photo wall project underway…)

…and our date’s not over. brett’s fishing tonight, and cubs just woke up from a late nap. we’re gunna put our jammies on and watch a movie…and maybe dance…and maybe read some more books…and maybe make hot cocoa (‘cuz that’s a little fall-ish, right).

oh, feeling so blessed.

~enjoying the i’m-so-glad-my-life-is-mine things. ~k

in keeping with my live healthier/embrace fall/become-that-earth-mom-i’ve-always-wanted-to-be thing. . .

i made my first bread tonight…homemade, no bread maker. whole wheat flour and honey and poppy seeds…my mom’s recipe. and i wore an old anthropologie apron when i kneaded it and liked the way i felt…even though i know a true earth mom wouldn’t exactly have to make a big deal on a blog about how cool she felt in an apron. (are ‘ya still proud of me, dig this chick?)

(she likes to fork her bread…she likes to fork everything these days)
p.s. ew on the flash pictures. i hate flash. but i had that whole candlelit ambient kitchen thing goin’ tonight and there just wasn’t enough light to go sans flash.

…enjoying the homemade things. ~k

after all, she is a girl…and i’ve been noticing her lately, watching me in the mirror when i put my make-up on.

so, it was just a matter of time…and today, little swiper dashed away with a lip liner. didn’t know she had it until i happened to see this face…

(these days i get ONE SHOT at getting a good picture of her before she runs away from me).

so it’s official, and although there is no place on her baby book’s “firsts” page for first time i snatched mom’s make-up (i’ll make one myself), every baby eventually does it and every parent has that famous baby-got-into-the-lipstick pic. this, my friends is ours.

oh, and p.s. …

…and more delicious autumn things to come these next couple weeks.

…enjoying the fill-in-your-own-blank-today things. c’mon, there’s so many. ~k