My friend Mel

If we are lucky in life we have one of those friends that is always there.

I have been exceptionally fortunate in my life to have more than one, but one of those people is my friend Melanie. Mel and I became close in high school and ever since have always been there for each other. After high school she went to Colorado for the summer and my step mom and I took a road trip out to see her. In college we spent many a night on the phone with each other and had several trips to each others campuses for a visit. When she moved to D.C. (the first time) I used to scavenge the airlines for deals to go see her. Whenever she is home we make a point to see each other. It's just always been that way, we have never drifted.

Of course the frequency of our visits and phone calls has become less in our crazy lives, but it never matters, it always feels as though we talked yesterday even if it has been months. She was the one who stayed with me the night before my wedding, she came to meet Hadley the day after she was born, she always answered the phone when I was having a rough time, she's always been there. I hope that I have returned the favor to her, I sure have tried.

Tonight was one of those exciting phone calls that make your heart leap because your friend has good news. Melanie and her boyfriend, Anson, are engaged and I am so excited for them. Congrats Mel, I love you!

Hadley and Sean

Hadley had SO much fun tonight with her cousin Sean. She loved saying Sean over and over again and having him read her favorite book about sharks to her. He made her laugh too as you can see in the pics. They had a blast while Uncle John helped Dad design the deck we are going to put onto our house this summer!!!

Papa and Mimi

We got to spend the second half of our weekend with Papa and Mimi. Hadley had lots of fun with them and it was great to spend some time together. It was a fantastic weekend!!!

Whitewater reunion

We had a reunion this weekend with a bunch of Jill's college friends from Whitewater. The party doubled as a surprise 30th for one of the UWW crew's finest, Kim. It was much fun and great for many of us that hadn't seen each other in several years to catch up. We should have taken more pics, but here are a few.

Dinnertime fun

We were trying to get Hadley to make sounds at dinner the other night, she and we thought it was hilarious!

Snuggling

Hadley wanted to lay by mommy and snuggle the other night, she and mom were both exhausted from their days. It was a special treat because Hadley doesn't want to sit still much these days!

Stopping to smell the flowers....

Hadley loves to look at our tulips and say pretty to them. Today was the first time she decided to take a sniff and as you can see, she had to get right into the flower to fully appreciate it. (:

Mother's Day

At the risk of sounding potentially cliche or lame this is how I feel about Mother's Day...

For the past few weeks I have seen commercials on TV or heard them on the radio about Mother's Day approaching. Perhaps the advertisement was for a diamond ring, maybe some flowers, or some other "item" that you have to purchase for your mom to make her feel special. Truth be told, I don't need a bunch of flowers, a hanging plant or even a diamond ring to feel special today for being a mom. I feel special every single day that I was blessed to become a mother. All I need to see is the beautiful smiling face of that little girl in the pictures above and my heart swells with love and pride. Just the simple fact that Mother's Day falls on a Sunday when I don't have to go to work and can hang out with my girl is enough for me. Maybe I'm lame, but it's true, every day is Mother's Day to me.

New toy!

What is this stuff?

This feels funny on my hands!

This is fun to throw on the grass!

What should we make?

Hadley and daddy making a turtle out of the sand.

Hadley got a sandbox/water table from mimi and papa for her birthday, we haven't put the water part in yet because it is not quite warm enough, but we decided to try out the sandbox side. She is quite intrigued with it and thinks it is great. Of course her favorite part is to throw the sand out of the box onto the grass!

Playing with daddy

The other night Hadley and daddy were playing on the floor. They were quite cute together.

Hadley and Orion

Hadley's friend Orion came over today so they could see each other. We missed him so much because it had been awhile since we all got to see each other. We had a great time seeing him, Hadley just loves him so much! She keeps walking up to him and saying baby and wanting to touch him, it is quite cute!