365 gratitude project: Days 118 and 119

Day 118 (Friday, April 27):

*I had two things that I am very grateful for today, so I decided to include them both.  Why not, right?

so grateful for this sweet little girl, her sweet big brothers, and her sweet parents.

b had to work late, so they had the girls and me over for dinner,

and it was so much fun.

see the kids playing in the background? they had an epic soccer match as the sun went down.

great night.

our beautiful roses!  

i am grateful that these pretty flowers greet me every time i return home, 

as they are right at the top of our driveway.

and get this: i planted them myself!  

seriously, i have no green thumb at all, so i am quite proud of these little beauties.

 Day 119 (Saturday, April 28):

so happy that there is some homemade art back up on our walls!

when we were showing our house, we had to take our art wall down

(it was a rotating gallery of the girls' art),

and when i saw this masterpiece that p created with stickers and a pen,

well, i just knew it had to go up.

A New Twist

Look at what I found:

It is called  the 365 grateful project, and it sounds like just what the doctor ordered for me.  Watch the video - it is quite sweet and simple.  I'm already taking a photo a day (or many, most days), so now I just need to reflect on these moments and truly appreciate the little things.  Sounds like a way to get me out of my funk. (Have I mentioned that I've been in a funk?  Yes, I have.  A big one.)

Let me know if you decide to give it a go, too.

365 Project: Days 107 - 117

Day 107 (Monday, April 16):

we came home from school.

p and i were in the kitchen having a snack.

but where was l?

in her room, "reading" a book to her friends whom she had tucked in bed.

Day 108 (Tuesday, April 17):

my view from the sofa.

where i often nap in the afternoons.

lucky me.

Day 109 (Wednesday, April 18):

we went outside to blow bubbles.

l wanted to bring this silicone placemat to draw.

Day 110 (Thursday, April 19):

l's first face, drawn in chalk in our driveway.

i wish i had a photo of p's first face.

i bet i have her actual first drawn face somewhere...

Day 111 (Friday, April 20):

bathtime at our house.

p in the tub, playing, happily.

l hiding under her towel to get warm.

my feet, and me, surveying the scene.

Day 112 (Saturday, April 21):

liked the shadows by our calendar.

nice moment.

Day 113 (Sunday, April 22):

sweet cuddles on a sunday morning.

p was still sleeping, snug as a bug, tucked in her bed.

Day 114 (Monday, April 23):

l often goes off on her own to play, happy as a clam.

here she is with lucy the dog and ella.

Day 115 (Tuesday, April 24):

roses from our front yard!

i planted these with my own hands,

and they are doing so well.

proud moment for me.

(need to edit this photo to make it less peachy)

Day 116 (Wednesday, April 25):

at the doctor for l's 3 year checkup.

small bench and cute sparkly tom's.

Day 117 (Thursday, April 26):

it was pouring so l and i went to target after dropping p at school.

l loves books, and she found a big section of princess books.

she was happy and could have stayed for an hour.

*So many photos of l!  Where is P?  I'm going to have to get her in some photos without a scowl on her face...I'm feeling guilty.

365 Project: Days 96 - 106

Day 96 (Thursday, April 5):

l doesn't have school on tuesdays and thursdays,

and i desperately needed a shower.

so i set her up on our bed with a stack of library books,

and she was as happy as could be.

Day 97 (Friday, April 6):

on the drive up to nyc for a quick weekend visit.

i think this little bridge is somewhere in maryland,

and it was just a beautiful scene with the sun and the water.

Day 98 (Saturday, April 7):

looking up at the ceiling in my childhood bedroom at my parents' apartment.

i was lying in bed, staring at the pretty chandelier and the cool shadows.

the camera+ app made it even cooler.

Day 99 (Sunday, April 8):

walking home from a friend's house.

i asked the girls to stand in front of these beautiful bushes.

l did this without missing a beat.  p wasn't in the mood to be photographed!

Day 100 (Monday, April 9):

i take so many photos of little baby h and she's not even mine.  

(you can imagine how many photos i have of my babies...)

both p and l love this little girl (and her whole family)

and they always want to hold her.  

Day 101 (Tuesday, April 10):

look what we discovered in the hanging geranium outside our front door!

the next day there were 5 eggs.

we keep checking (but not touching, don't worry!) every day, 

but none have hatched yet.

i will keep you posted.

Day 102 (Wednesday, April 11):

our sunroom, flooded with light,

while l plays school or library or something else

that grownups are not allowed to participate in.

Day 103 (Thursday, April 12):

p at the top of the pole she climbed up.

it took all of her strength and she had to fight her way up,

but she did it and was very proud.

Day 104 (Friday, April 13):

the louis vuitton store at an outdoor mall near us 

always has great displays.

i love this display of colored arrows,

 and the reflection of my gals makes it even better.

(p.s. now the girls know exactly what an arrow looks like.)

Day 105 (Saturday, April 14):

i took only one photo this entire day.

baby h being held by b.

sweet.

Day 106 (Sunday, April 15):

we went downtown to a family day at an outdoor art project.

the gals were feeling quite fancy and feisty,

and i asked them to smile because i loved the grittiness of the surroundings.

they make me laugh.

365 Project: Days 91 - 95

Day 91 (Saturday, March 31):

we were all hanging out in the sunroom on this rainy day.

b and i were reading and the girls were playing.

i had fun experimenting with instagram.

 Day 92 (Sunday, April 1):

i took some much needed time away from everyone

and headed to barnes and noble where i completely enjoyed

flipping through magazines and not speaking to anyone.  ahhhh.

Day 93 (Monday, April 2):

the girls needed new shoes and i told them about toms.

p spotted these sparkly gold ones as soon as we walked in.

l took a few minutes to chose between blue sparkly and red sparkly.

these little shoes make us all so happy.  funny how some sparkles can do that, huh?

Day 94 (Tuesday, April 3):

we spent the afternoon drawing and baking.

these kisses were very tempting to us all.

and yes, i think l did touch all of them!

Day 95 (Wednesday, April 4):

at sweet frog...again.

i had to make a new rule that we can only go once a week.

it never gets old.

365 Project: Day 90

Day 90 (Friday, March 30):

slim pickins for today.

our dinner - just us and Papa John.

momma must have had a rough day.

365 Project: Days 81 - 89

Day 81 (Wednesday, March 21):

these little candles were a gift from a friend.

the girls sit up in our big bay window

and the three of us play dolls with them.

p's is pink, l's is purple, and mine is blue.

Day 82 (Thursday, March 22):

what a great morning.

the trees were just incredible,

and little l was having fun collecting flowers.

sweet moment for momma.

Day 83 (Friday, March 23):

nightly ritual (ok, not every night!).

the girls take a bath together and almost always someone ends up in tears.

cutie pies, nonetheless.

Day 84 (Saturday, March 24):

my parents came to visit.

everyone was happy to be together.

Day 85 (Sunday, March 25):

p is learning to read,

so she grabbed hop on pop and read to her sister at bedtime.

it totally warmed my heart.

 Day 86 (Monday, March 26):

a diptych for today.

after didi and papi left we were all tuckered out.

we climbed into my bed and took a big snooze together.

i was lucky enough to wake up first to see these sweet ladies fast asleep beside me.

(now, how can i get these two photos side by side in line with one another?)

Day 87 (Tuesday, March 27):

before gymnastics class the girls have fun playing outside.

i think they could have played with these balls for hours.

 Day 88 (Wednesday, March 28):

we went to see our friends, and here is the newest addition to their sweet family.

(not a great photo of baby h!)

p was so happy to be holding her.

Day 89 (Thursday, March 29):

we went out for lunch, and this fountain outside the restaurant was calling.

p ran in, fully clothed, happy as a clam.

l was a bit more apprehensive, but once her dress came off she ran right in.

365 Project: Day 80

Day 80 (Tuesday, March 20):

a beautiful day,

hanging on the deck with l while p was at school.

(she really should be wearing a helmet!)

365 Project: Day 79

Day 79 (Monday, March 19):

sorry that this is a little nasty-looking,

but someone lost another tooth!

she was eating an apple -

it really does work!

365 Project: Days 76 - 78

Day 76 (Friday, March 16):

the girls and i went to watch b's soccer game 

(he is the assistant coach for the girls jv team).

p had so much fun rolling down the hill,

almost completely oblivious to the game.

and there's b on the sidelines, watching his team.

l and i were on the top of the hill - 

she was having some trouble figuring out how to roll down.

Day 77 (Saturday, March 17):

what a great day!

we started off with p's soccer game at 8:45am,

followed by a little bbq/pit fire at my pottery teacher's house.

it was a day of fun people, happy kids, happy adults,

and of course one very naughty leprechaun who left a mess in the girls' rooms!

Day 78 (Sunday, March 18):

b was on the computer all day, writing reports,

so the gals and i went out for an afternoon scoot

(well, they were scooting, i was walking).

p found three dandelions for us all to make a wish.

love these moments with my gals.

i didn't love the moment shortly after this photo was taken

 when we saw a rather large snake in the little creek right beside us!

needless to say, we went home after that.

365 Project: Days 71 - 75

Day 71 (Sunday, March 11):

finally home again.

b took the girls to dylan's candy bar, and l chose this lollipop.

we figured sunday morning was as good a time as any to let her finally eat it.

 Day 72 (Monday, March 12):

p had a big dental day.

the morning started with two cavities filled at the dentist (she is incredibly brave).

and that night she lost her first tooth.

she was so excited and giddy, she was nearly in tears.

it was incredibly wonderful to see and experience.

the tooth fairy brought her a "golden coin."

she couldn't have been happier.

Day 73 (Tuesday, March 13):

before their gymnastics class, the girls made a block city.

they wouldn't let me look until they were ready.

they used every single block, and it really was awesome.

finally, they worked together on something without trying to harm one another!

success.

 Day 74 (Wednesday, March 14):

an unseasonably warm day called for gelato.

those girls love their sweets.

they were silent for a good 15 minutes while they ate.

so funny.

Day 75 (Thursday, March 15):

another warm day, so we had friends over for some backyard fun.

we broke out the bathing suits and the sprinkler.

i love this photo.