As you can see and if you have followed this blog over the past year you know, i have joined a circle of incredible women and am forever grateful to be a part of this.  these women speak my language.  they FEEL every moment of their lives, the good, the bad, the frustrating and the so happy you can’t catch your breath ones.  AND THEY SHARE THEM.  these letters will move you through a range of emotions and be prepared if you are like me and you cry at songs or commercials you will prob shed a tear to two.  As you will see our lives are so very different and so very awesome in our own ways, in fact we are located all over the world..but we all share one simple common thread, we love our baby girls with every ounce of us.  and after all i can’t imagine a better thing to share.

please take a moment to follow the circle…start with my sweet friend DEBBIE of d*light photographer and her beautiful daughter jo, be prepared to be amazed by her incredible heart, her calm motherly nature and the gasp worthy way she sees the world

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my sweet sweet baby girls,

last months post was sort of hard to write just like last july’s post was…there is something about each of of you growing that breaks my heart and brings me the most joy you can imagine all in one.  well this month i promise not to be sad, not to be sappy, or any of that gushy mushy mommy stuff.  As i said in the last letter “I cry a lot, and its always in a good way but my heart aches for a repeat of the memories we have made, while my brain is constantly looking forward to the amazing moments that await us, all while trying to engrain every second of the RIGHT NOW into both!”…by the way is it weird to quote yourself?!  hmmm yeah i think it might be…but…well..lets move on ha. So this month i decided to make a list…yep a list of Life To-Do’s!  (after all there was a time i was the self proclaimed “queen of lists”) Its been a while in the making and i have shared parts of it with you years ago but i am adding some more goodies to it and as our days fly by i will surly add more.  I mean, there are so many moments in what we have already experienced in this short time as a family and even more that lie ahead.  This journey i have walked has taught me these life lessons, albeit some have been hard lessons they have all made me who i am today, which in turn has molded the way i teach you to move through each day and put one foot in front of the other on your own path.

1. don’t cast the first stone (literally and figuratively).
nobody really likes a bully at the end of the day, so dont be “that guy”. and remember, words when said with negativity only leave a bitter taste, be the bigger person and take a deep breath before you speak.

2. learn to love {YOU} the rest will follow.
life will constantly throw you curve balls, some you will hit out of the park and some will HIT YOU right on that bony part of your elbow, but the point is if you love {YOU} you can handle them all.

3. be kind.
when it comes from the heart, kindness will always come right back at’cha. leave the meaners, bad karma, and ugliness to others.

4. eat something chocolate every monday morning.
yep it helps, mommy wouldn’t lie (period)

5. you are only as good as the company you keep. you only really need 1-3 super-fabulous-same-clothes-size-or-shoe-size-wearing-good-at-fractions-ice-cream-sharing-tissue-holding-best-of-the-best girlfriends. so choose them wisely. they will be hard to find but once you find them you will know….and btw your sister will be one of them : ). God gave you eachother for a reason young ladies!

6. while practice makes perfect, spontaneity cultivates laughter.
in other words, there is a time to take yourself seriously and there is a time to let yourself live in the moment.  life holds so many rewards for you, you only need to open your heart and mind and let them in.  and coming from an i-hate-change-i-need-routine type a personality ill tell you this one is a toughie but you can do it!

7. always speak the truth, even when the truth scares you.
i refuse to waste a breath on what lies can do, but what i will focus on is always telling the truth.  there will, no doubt, be a time in your life that telling the truth will be hard but to put it concisely there is no other right answer.

8. confidence counts.
always look people in the eye, shake with a firm handshake, and wear some cute shoes. during all walks of life, all ages, and all important inerviews believing in yourself matters. and hey, mommy and daddy will always believe in you!

9. sometimes the lessons we learn in failure are more important than the feelings we get from winning.
this applies to everything in life, moments, real competitions, trying new things, being creative…everything.  in order to fully relish in your successes you have to feel the hurt of defeat, the “defeat” the “failure” THAT is what makes you try your hardest, that is what motivates you to do better and appreciate how far you have come.  and in times like these default to #4 and eat some chocolate 😉

10. clear the clutter.
literally and figuratively of course.  only surround yourself with others that make you laugh so hard you can’t hardly breath.

love you all the way to jesus girls…

mommy

ETA: since i haven’t had a camera all month i rented one for a weekend and filled my soul with lifestyle-carefree-technically wrong-IMPERFECT-mommy goggle-moments