Fashion Friday: anything goes

When Mom is sick, wear whatever the heck you want!  Tree frog pajama pants with a t-shirt, sandals and princess crown?  Sure, looks great honey.

Seriously, she brought me the sandals and crown - adamant that she wear them.

What a fashionista.

Me and Her (is that grammatically correct?)

I've made a new goal (it's very informal) to be in more photos with my daughter.  Even if I'm not dressed up, even if they're totally blurry and have funky exposure, even if both our faces don't fit in the frame.

I want to remember our time together - the time when it was me and her.

What about you, fellow mama bloggers - will you join me in this challenge?  I want to see pictures of you and your babes.  Put them up on your blog, send me a link, let's document this motherhood thing!

Mother Appreciation: the post-edition

I know, I know, Mother's Day was forever ago and I totally missd the boat.  But I"m going to share some mother-stuff anyway.  It's always a good day to honor motherhood, right?  I gave a talk in church on Mother's Day (no need to comment on the irony - if you know me, you know these issues) and I shared a few quotes that I think are just amazing:

"One cannot forget mother and remember God.  One cannot remember mother and forget God. Why?  Because these two sacred persons, God and mother, partners in creation, in love, in sacrifice, in service, are as one."

Thomas S. Monson, Behold Thy Mother, April 1998 Ensign

"When we understand the magnitude of motherhood, it becomes clear why prophets have been so protective of woman's most sacred role.  While we tend to equate motherhood solely with maternity, in the Lord's language, the word mother has layers of meaning.  Of all the words they could have chosen to define her role and her essence, both God the Father and Adam called Eve "the mother of all living" - and they did so before she ever bore a child.  Like Eve, our motherhood began before we were born.  Just as worthy men were foreordained to hold the priesthood in mortality, righteous women were endowed premortally with the privilege of motherhood.  Motherhood is more than bearing children, though it is certainly that.  It is the essence of who we are as women.  It defines our very identity, our divine stature and nature, and the unique traits our Father gave us."

Sheri Dew, Are We Not All Mothers?, 2001 

There is no one perfect way to be a good mother.  Each situation is unique.  Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children...What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else."

M. Russel Ballard, Daughters of God, May 2008 Ensign

 I may not be Mother of the Year, but we sure look the part don't we?

Much love to you Eleanor - you made me a mother, I'm trying to make me a better one.

image credit: Kelli Nicole

Grandma Takes New York!

Whoa everybody, sorry about the radio silence over here.  We've had a few busy weeks.  You know, the kind where you're so busy living your life you have no time to blog about the living you've been doing?  And yet, if I don't blog about it, I feel strangely unfilled by the whole experience.  It's twisted, I know.

Anyway, I'm back now and very excited to share some photos with you!  A couple weeks ago, my grandma came to visit.  It was her first time in New York City and we did our best to show her a good time.

Grandma and Ellie on 5th Ave.

We went to Tiffany's and had lunch in Central park on this day.

Grandma and Ellie have some quality time at Union Square Park.

The reason Ellie doesn't look at the camera anymore is that she's gotten really good at ignoring me.

Really, really good.

Grandma sees the Statue of Liberty from the Staten Island Ferry.

Grandma on the Brooklyn Bride (look at that modeling skill!)

Grandma in front of the Met.  This was probably her favorite stop.

She loves the art of the East, so I saw a lot of stuff I don't normally see on this trip.

Also, not pictured is our Broadway adventure. We saw How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and it was awesome!  I was just too tired to take any photos that night.  Can you blame me?  Grandma wore me out.

I did get a chance to take some quick shots of Ellie with her Great Grandmother.  I have a couple candid pictures of me with my mom's grandparents and I just treasure them.  I hope Ellie will treasure these one day.

Thanks for a fun-filled week Grandma - it was great having you!  I love you.