what we're lubbing

nope, not a typo. harper likes to tell us i lub you when we kiss her goodnight, or even just randomly. it's the best feeling in the world. so, today, i'm dedicating my blog to all the things harper is lubbing right now, and some of the things i'm loving about her. a pseudo-beautiful littles post, if you will. just because my heart is happy. the blahs from last weekend have been banished. and we're living our life.

harper lubs...

chocolate. my goodness, if that girl could sleep in a barrel of mini m&m's, i think she would jump right into that opportunity. it's an addiction. most likely passed on from mommy's mega-sweet-tooth genes. it's not one we indulge in quite frequently, but when we do, look out. look at the bright side- it's how she learned her colors.

bubbles. the girl digs bubbles. trying to blow them through the wand. popping them. watching them float away. she becomes mesmerized.

ice cream and froyo. it's true, i don't deny the girl the chance to score some cold, frozen happiness served up with a spoon. i love it just as much, if not more. i'm always pondering in my head when the next time i can go get a chilly treat is. i just can't help myself. i guess it's why i run.

walks outside. she loves to climb in her stroller, but after a few minutes, she just wants to get out and use those legs. she wants to walk. she wants to run. she wants to go up and down the hill of our neighbors driveway. and she wants mommy to walk right alongside her. i love that.

helping mommy bake and cook. lately, she's been asking to help make dinner. i see why- she gets to taste and make messes along the way. i love sharing this time with her and i'm learning to care less about the mess we make. i'm always looking for great new recipes, fun cooking projects. i love to make something and watch people enjoy it. never used to be a good cook or baker, but i think i'm getting better. and i hope i'm fostering a lifelong love in her. at least fostering an enjoyment of mess-making knowing that it can always be cleaned up later.

airplane rides. not the real deal. the feet on her tummy kind. this is a new thing. there are so many fun activities, small as they may be, that i often forget to do with her. i had them all in my head before she was born. the books we would read. the songs we would sing. the rhymes we would recite with hand movements to match the words. and slowly, they're coming back into my head and we're accomplishing them.

her daddy. there's just something about daddy snuggles. he's wrapped around her little finger. and it's adorable to watch.

i'm loving...

the words that are just growing exponentially these days. she's putting sentences together like i couldn't have imagined for her age. and asking questions. where'd it go? what's that? the way she speaks amazes me. the songs she sings, remembering most of the words and making up some when she can't, the way her pitch rises and falls at the exact right places. her independence. the fact that she can now put on her purple shoes. all. by. herself. that she picks her vegetables to eat instead of the meat.

the way she stands on her tippy-tippy-toes to reach something way up high.

that she can be a girly girl and ogle over shoes and say things like cute and pretty one minute, and be a dirt-digging, sand-castle-building, want-to-be-outside-every-minute-of-the-day the next. she's a good mix between mommy and daddy.

her smile. her laugh. the way she says i lub you. her fingers. her toes. her baby blue eyes. her.

do you love her fat lip? she slipped on the hardwood and her tooth made a nice cut. she looks as if she just exited the boxing ring. my tough little cookie.

i count my blessings daily for the fact that she's mine. i'm her mommy. i get to keep her for the rest of our lives. i get to cuddle and kiss her whenever i want. i get to watch her grow up and enjoy all the moments in her beautiful little life. i won the lottery the day she was born. how lucky am i? how thankful i am.

there is laundry to be done. towels to be refolded because harper wanted to "help." there are dishes in the sink. dust bunnies are tumbleweeding across the floor. mail to sort through. dinners to be tackled. but, what we've accomplished today seems sufficient. our training run is complete (30 straight minutes! and there were so many times i wanted to stop, but michael wouldn't allow it. and i'm so thankful for him, motivating us and keeping us pressing on. kisses to my husband.). the carrot cake that i started to bake on friday was finally frosted and completed today, just because you don't need a special occasion to have cake. i've showered. the grass has been cut. umm, well that's good enough for a sunday, i guess.

i'm learning to enjoy the time we have together. so what if there are dustbunnies and piles of laundry. there's love, and that's what counts the most.

would love to hear what you're lubbing these days, too. after all, happiness doubles when you share it.