Mia's Birthday

October 9th fell on a Tuesday this year. The day my baby turned into a 2 year old.

Even though we had a bigger birthday party scheduled later in the month, I decided to take half the day off work to celebrate just the two of us. 

After we had some professional photos taken (for our Christmas cards) we headed to the park so Mia could enjoy her birthday present.

She hasn't quite gotten the hang of pedaling which is where the mommy handlebar comes in.

But she loved it!

Then we grabbed dinner at Applebee's and Mia was serenaded by the wait staff.

Afterwards we headed home for a happy birthday cupcake. She was a bit impatient waiting for it.

Mommy sang to her again and she blew out her candle.

And opened a present mailed from her Grandpa and Grandma in Wyoming.

She got a carrying case for her Tag reader.

And some new books.

It was a good day.

Resolutions, Intentions, Plans

Whatever you wanna call it... it's a new year and it's time to stop neglecting my blog. Life gets busy when you're a single working mom of a busy toddler.

But I've always treasured having this space to keep track of memories. I love that I can come here and relive my trip to China, see Mia progress through milestones during our first months home and watch her continue to grow and blossom.

I regret that I've fallen behind here for the last several months. So my plan for the new year is to not only catch up through the end of 2012 but consistently document 2013.

With that being said, I thought it'd be interesting to see just how much my girl has changed. Wow! I can hardly believe the difference one year makes.

Mia was just starting to walk at the end of 2011. And now at the end of 2012, she's a running, jumping, climbing monkey.

Over the next couple of weeks I plan to back date some posts to catch up through Mia's birthday in October all the way through Christmas and the new year. I'm looking forward to all the exciting things waiting in 2013!

Merry Christmas

Happy Birthday Baby!

Missing My Boy

It's been 4 weeks since I had to say good-bye to my furry little soul mate.

Getting used to his absence has been really difficult. Some days there are still tears.

As I carry laundry up from the basement, I still expect to see him waiting for me at the top of the stairs... like he always did.

I still wait for him to come running to the kitchen when I open a bag of shredded cheese... like he always did.

I still slowly get out of bed when the alarm goes off so that I don't startle him sleeping peacefully at the foot of my bed... like he always did.

I still glance over at the couch expecting to see him sleeping on the back of it... like he always did.

He's just always been around. My nieces and nephews have grown up with him.

He's been camping with the family and has gone on a few road trips. In 2010, we drove all the way to Florida together.

He was included in our annual Christmas penguin pj's photoshoots.

And one year he even got his own photo with the big guy.

I'm sure there will be sadness when I pull out the Christmas decor this year.

He was my constant companion for twelve years.

My first baby.

My snuggler.

My spooner.

Then Mia came and our lives really changed. This was our first day home and his expression seems to be saying "Are you sure about this?"

But it didn't take long for Griffey to accept her into our family.

And then he was always with her.

Never that far away... but far enough to be out of reach. LOL!

Hovering and hoping for a dropped Cheerio.

I love how he photo-bombed this present opening shot. I found this on my computer when I was organizing old photos of him and it made me laugh.

He was right there in the mix to help celebrate Mia's first birthday with everyone.

I'm glad they had a little over a year together. I wish it could've been longer. But I'm grateful they knew each other. I'll hold those memories close.

I'll probably look for him in all his familiar places for awhile still yet.

And I'll love him.... and miss him always.

Or at least until we meet again someday at the Rainbow Bridge.

Griffey 

July 1, 2000 - Sept 7, 2012