ride 'em cowboy.

We've watched a lot of Toy Story lately...a lot. Nate is obsessed with Woody and the idea of being a cowboy. This afternoon he jumped onto one of the dogs and started screaming "yee haw! ride 'em cowboy!".  We have the most patient dog, ever....and a very spunky little kid :)

mother's day.

This has been a bittersweet Mother's Day for me. We lost my Nana last November and it's just so strange going through holidays without her. I'm sure that it's been even harder on my mom to go through her first Mother's Day since Nana passed away.  I found myself going through some of my old photos and I found two that really hit me - one from when I was a baby and one from my wedding. Both are three-generation photos, but taken twenty-something years apart. Kind of neat in a nostalgic and sad way.

In the happier thoughts for Mother's Day, I can still echo on last year's sentiments as I love this little boy more and more with each passing day. It's a lot of responsibility forming a life, a temperament, and literally the future but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I've seen Nate grow from a baby to a little boy so quickly. His kindness and empathy is supplemented by his stubborn resolve and insistence on independence, and his ever-present energy and his sense of humor is both refreshing and exhausting.

We took a family photo today and one with just Nate and Mommy. Tripods and timers are a blessing :)

teacher appreciation.

It's Teacher Appreciation Day today, which daycare has aptly turned into Teacher Appreciation Week.  Each day has had a theme of way that you show your gratitude for all that the teachers do for our kids. When you think about it, teachers have such a huge responsibility and help to shape your child. They certainly don't get paid enough, so I think it's awesome that they have their own day/week.

Tomorrow is gift card day and I found an adorable little crafting project to make gift card holders for the teachers at Skip to My Lou (take a look!) and this is what I made. Granted, not quite as fancy as the original but I am not so crafty.

Make sure to tell your teachers how much you appreciate them this week (and every week)!