Clean

THIS little girl poured half a bag of linen scented bath salts into the tub with her this morning. It was a large bag too. Afterward, I slathered her in baby oil gel to get some moisture back into her soft skin.

It is hard to be mad when she is so cute. Plus, she was in our big tub and I should have known not to keep something so tempting around.

At least she smells like clean laundry!

2012 T-Day Menu

Here's what is on our menu this year:

The Main Event:
Smoked Turkey by Bill

The Sides:
Cranberry Sauce (simple and sweet)
Corn Bake Casserole (trying this for the first time)
Homemade Rolls by my mother-in-law
Green Bean Casserole (no canned soup here)
Mashed Potatoes by Sue
Green Salad by Grandma Jo
Candied Coconut Sweet Potatoes (another new recipe)
Cornbread Dressing With Sausage and Apples


Dessert:
Pecan Pie (easy and awesome)
Pumpkin Pie by Marcie

Happy cooking (and eating!).

Aunt Soup

Elyse and I had a lot of quality time with Aunt Sue (Soup) this weekend. We went to her house yesterday and she came to breakfast with us at Starbuck's and then on to playgroup at Geoff and Nate's. SOUPER fun!

Elyse was very excited to see Trixie (the rat).

We had a good, stick-to-your-ribs dinner, which was Elyse-approved.

Sue and I laughed away at this picture. Sue saw her do that with her eyes right before she snapped it.

Good times with Aunt Soup! The lighting was dim, so I had a hard time editing this picture, but I just love it!

Happy Monday!

Brazilian Blowout - Before and After Photos

On Monday, I got my first Brazilian Blowout. Anna was my first friend to get one, then Jennifer got certified to do them, Marcie went and now me. Basically, it is a process that straightens your hair and it lasts for three months. Word has it, the more you do it, the longer it can last (a friend of Anna's lasts seven months now).

To the far left is my hair if I were to simply shower, comb out and let air dry. The second photo is after blowing it dry normally. Because of the frizziness, I would either have to curl or straighten it. The third photo is after the blowout. No further styling is needed after blowing it dry - unless I want to curl it or touch up a few pieces with the flat iron. No special products required, you just have to make sure the shampoo is sulfate-free.

It is SO GREAT. I cannot even tell you. Love it. It is expensive, but I'm banking on the lasting longer, the more you do it option.

Thank you, Jennifer!

Your Heart is So Big

You at your second birthday party - September 2012

Dearest Elyse –

Our friend and neighbor, Kim, watches you about once a month. She is a Mom of two boys and really connected with you when you were a newborn and now you hold a big piece of her heart. She watches you once a month and she and her boys (Lance and Logan) enjoy their “girl time” with you. We like that you have such an extended network of people who love you and that Kim and her family enjoy you as much as we do. That makes our hearts happy.

I went to pick you up from Kim’s house on Wednesday afternoon. She said she had something she wanted to tell me.

Kim is an ER nurse. She recently heard of a local 56 year old man who has Down’s syndrome, is under hospice care and lives with his 89 year old mother. Kim learned that his mother was no longer able to bathe him as she always had given her own limitations. Given her background (and big heart), Kim agreed to step in and visit the family once a week to help with his bathing.

Kim brought you along for one of her weekly visits to this mother and son. Kim said you were a little shy meeting them. The man extended his hand to shake with you (his traditional greeting), but you cowered in response. Kim assured me that none of this surprised her as this was a new setting with a lot of factors that might cause you to hold back a bit. Kim was easily able to transition you to watch cartoons with the mother while Kim went in to help the son have his bath.

After his bath, the man came into the living room and put out his hand once again in an attempt to shake your hand. To everyone’s surprise, you got up from the couch and ran over to him, bypassing his outstretched hand, to give him a big hug. Kim said the man seemed a bit surprised and gently patted your back.

Kim said, “Now Courtney. I need you to understand. This man has Down’s syndrome and rarely speaks – so he looks and acts differently than what Elyse is used to. Also, he is sick. He probably weighed about 140 pounds before he got sick, now weighs about 75 and his skin is now literally hanging. Your daughter had over a million reasons to not feel comfortable enough to shake his hand. She saw none of that. It was so great - it was a wonderful moment that really showed her love and generous nature.”

This story touches me in a variety of ways. I wish we could all see the world through the eyes of our children. Your innocence and love is something we can all learn from. I’d like to think that part of this is the unique heart of my daughter and I am so proud to hear how you loved this man and touched so many of us who have heard this story.

I am already so proud of you, sweet girl.

Love,

Mama