there is laughter,

there is hope,

there is trust…..

a chance to shape the future.

- Air Supply

in the middle of

an ordinary life,

love 

gives us a fairytale.

- Unknown

is like the beginning of all things …

wonder,

hope,

a dream of possibilities.

- Eda J. Le Shan

a handful of happiness, a heart full of love.

the mystery of life, so sacred and sweet, the giver of joy so deep and complete.

precious and priceless -

so lovable too.

the world’s sweetest miracle, baby, is you.

- Helen Steiner Rice

*sigh*

i love the newness of newborns.  don’t you?  :)

- Maureen Hawkins

It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.   

… Elizabeth Stone

 

their hair is tied up with ribbons and bows…

their hearts are tied up with dreams.

no?

well, HANDS OFF!  it’s my idea!  ;)

this summer marked a pretty major milestone for my wee ones.

they learned how to ride a bike… a real 2-wheeler folks, no training wheels involved.  i’m so proud!!!

however…… it had to be one of the most frustrating milestones for us to meet thus far.

earlier this summer, shouts of -

“you can do it”

and

“don’t look back”

as well as

“i told you NOT.TO.LOOK.BACK”

and finally

“OK SERIOUSLY STOP LOOKING BACK”

could be heard up and down our street.  neighbors smiled as they passed us by and offered words of encouragement… it was a pretty hallmark scene.  picture three kiddos in the street attempting to accomplish one of the biggest milestones of their young lives with me cursing cheering alongside them.  again, hallmark.

not.

for one thing, it was hot.

for another, i was grossly outnumbered.

and lastly?  well, nowadays bikes aren’t made with the same banana seat handle that my father had the pleasure of teaching me with way back when.  remember these lovelies?

see that purdy little handle at the back of that banana seat?  nowadays they’re hard to come by, leaving you with nothing to hold onto when it comes to teaching such lessons.  nothing to grip as you attempt to stabilize your child in their graduation into the wonderful world of two-wheelin.

*sigh*

after a full day of ‘teaching’, i threw in the towel, logged on and headed to good old google.

glorious google never fails me!

she led me to onestepahead’s website, which introduced me to the amazing balance buddy.

it was love at first site!

i ordered a couple of these beauties and they arrived within days.  luckily, since i’m not very handy, they were pretty easy to assemble in that all you do is attach them to where you would attach your child’s training wheels.  easy peasy.

low and behold, within a couple of hours of installation, i had 3 two-wheelin kiddos zipping along pleased as punch and proud as peacocks.

it was, in a word, AMAZING.

wait, i need to rephrase that…

it was A M A Z I N G!!!!!!!!!!!!!

balance buddy you rock my world!

our buddys have since been loaned out to various neighbors who are equally amazed at how easily it helps kids achieve this frustrating milestone.  my block is now chock-full of two wheelin kiddos and proud parents.

you have been warned – when you’re in my neck of the woods, please  proceed with caution.  ;)

Sure, a newborn is pretty perfect in every way.

But a *sleeping* newborn?  Well, that’s just over the top perfection in my humble opinion.

The proof is in the pudding though isn’t it?  

Told you so!  ;)

It’s the sound of my heart swooning.  Over this delicious little man who turns 6 months next week.

From the top of his little head to the tips of his bitty toes, this guy sure set my heart aflutter.

What a wonderful age 6 months is isn’t it?

The giggles… the coos… the babble.

*sigh*

They grow up way to fast.  We’re experiencing the “don’t kiss me in front of my friends” stage in these parts lately, so this scrumptious baby was just the doctor ordered.

Where did my squishy babies go?  It seems like just yesterday we had nurseries instead of bedrooms… cribs instead of canopies… diaper bags in place of book bags.  I guess the saying is true in that time sure flies when you’re having fun!

This little guy sure took me for a stroll down memory lane during our session and what a great trip it was!  :)