Thursday, March 17, 2011

Fleeting Moments; Magical Memories

Just returned from a peaceful night run.  The air was cool, the moon bright, and the rain tucked away somewhere else for a change.  I could see my breath in the light from my head lamp. With each exhale, I felt myself settle into my rythym just a bit more and I couldn't help but smile! Tonight is one of those nights that I feel completely satisfied and joyful.  Today was wonderful.  A day that will go down in the memory books.  All three of my kids went to bed feeling happy, loved, safe and floating on the magic of childhood. 

If you don't count the fact that my 20 month old decided to rip this rather reasonably large chunk of hair from my now four year old's head when she took his turn on the slide at preschool....

...or the fact that he nearly pulled my mother-in-law's fancy tea pot and cups off the table with the table cloth while I was decorating for my daughter's party...


...today was a darn near perfect day!  A day that makes you feel happy to be a mother and have a part in creating a magical childhood for your children. 

A day that you get to see this kind of joy on your child's face as she celebrates her life...


 ....and seeing the look on her face that tells you that she is bursting at the seams with excitement...


A day where doing a fairy dance for a room full of adults and 12 kids ages 1-6 means that the jewel fairy will come and sprinkle jewels under our Japanese Maple and allow 10 girls to gather magical memories and a purse full of jewels to wish upon tonight. 



A day where seeing girls try to act like ladies makes for a priceless memory and even burps and smiling with food in your mouth makes for a great picture.



 A day where
all
the pieces
come together
to
make a perfect day!

Kitchen is done, cake covered, last minute plans and invitatons made, and history written.




Life IS GOOD! 

Tomorrow is another busy day.  Going out for my husband's birthday with friends to see Roller Derby.  Apparently we are in a for a good show....tough looking ladies on roller skates trying to knock each other out of the way.  Good times! 

On the running front... tomorrow's workout calls for:
Tempo Run
2 mile warm up
4-5 miles at 6:50/7 pace
1.5 mile cool down

I'll be flying around trying to get home, showered and ready to go again.  Good thing I have a good sitter!  She's amazing!  And she's leaving me to go to college next year.  Boo.


What is one of your favorite childhood memories?  A birthday party?  A magical moment?  Seeing a relative? 
I grew up in a family where we didn't celebrate birthdays or ANY holidays due to our religion (that we are no longer a part of since I was 12).  My mom still found ways to make me feel special and create memories though.  I remember one day in music class when I was in third grade, my mom walked in and asked to take me out to the hall for a moment.  I thought that maybe something bad had happened.  When I got out in the hall, my mom said "I just wanted to tell you that I love you...that's all".  And she gave me a necklace that had pink beads with plastic and colorful fruit on it.  I felt so LOVED and special.  I still have that necklace on my bathroom counter and it is one of my greatest treasures.  I used to take it to show my students at school during a certain writer's workshop exercise.  I don't think I'll ever be ready to part with that necklace.  Not until I'm ready to leave this world.  I'll post a picture of it sometime.  :) 

Amanda

24 comments:

  1. I love the hats!! so cute!!!
    Childhood memory: My dad is from Hungary he could not return to his country for several years because he left during the revolution and well he would have ended up in jail. He left his mom behind and all his family. In 1976, I was 7 yrs old (maybe you were not even born!!!) and we took a trip to France to go meet my grand mother (she travelled alone by train to meet us) for the first time. It was magical. I could not understand a word she said but I could see that I had HER face. I still remember meeting her like it was yesterday.

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  2. Looks like a fun party - my kids have always done active parties which is fun and channels all the energy as well.

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  3. Such a cute party! I have so many great memories from my childhood. It was such a time of fun and laughter and love at my house. I can't even pick one!

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  4. Your party looks so fun! I would have liked to be a guest. :) You inspire me to want to be more creative for birthday and holidays.

    My mom always made things look decorative and I have been pretty slack...

    Yesterday we too a "trip" to elkton to the little library there just so Nathan could see the St. Padddy's day decorations. I realized how much it means to him when he asked....

    I love tea parties as a reason to get dressed up. I bet the girls LOVED finding the jewels =D You are a great mom, Amanda!

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  5. What a cute idea for a party. The table looks great. Want to come do mine for my next get together? Because otherwise it might be paper plates and forks from our most recent take-out.

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  6. Wow you are such an AMAZING mom.. I just have to tell you! BEAUTIFUL!

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  7. I enjoy your positive posts! Thanks.

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  8. How awesome is that?! I'm sure your daughter absolutely loved it!!

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  9. Look at all those fancy "ladies". WOW! Beautifully done!!

    I had a great childhood with my extended family - lots of memories of all my aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents around. Especially my Dad's family because we ALL lived in Eugene and so every weekend (at a minimum) was family time.
    I would say Saturday mornings were my favorite. Everyone would gather at my Grandma Ruth and Grandpa Frank's house. Grandma would make us lots of "floppies" (crepes) and bacon and eggs and I would watch all my uncles piling up massive amounts of floppies and eating SO MUCH FOOD and then the guys would all head out to work on a car, the women would talk or play cards (my g'ma was the best at SPEED) and the kids would just hang out and play. Great memories!!!

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  10. I can not come up with one particular memory because there are so many! My mom always made parties special for us girls! Natalie turns 7 this month...thinking a tea party is a GREAT idea!!

    Love this post. I try to make as many of those "I just wanted to tell you I love you" moments as possible.

    Your happiness is very evident in that photo...as is your daughters. :)

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  11. Oh my! Awesome party!! What a fun mom! Could your little girl look ANY happier in that picture!! I miss those princess dress up tea parties! Loving the chunk of hair too. Maybe that should go in a keepsake box or better yet you could probably donate a piece that big to Locks of Love or something!!

    Glad you had such a great run! Hope the tempo goes just as well. I ran tempo today on hills. Umm... wine and tempo-no no no......got it done though:)

    Hope you have so much fun tonight!! Don't end up in the bathroom like me..lol!!!

    Love the childhood memory. A simple necklace and a few words...What really matters to kids...Your posts just make me want to go love on my kids!! Have a great day:)

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  12. That looks like the perfect little party! I love it!!

    Really my favorite birthday memory is just from last year. It was so fun to be in Disney World with my closest friends. We had a character breakfast and then spent the day playing in Epcot. I got to see Captain EO again, which really made my day, and then we hit the World Showcase. It was just all of my favorite things with my favorite people - and no stress. Topped them all!

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  13. Oh, such a cute party! I love stories about your kids. Your boy is just how I like kids to be, with lots of personality. You know, you can save the hair and tease him as he grows up:)

    Glad running is going well. Those are some awesome paces! Keep it up! Oh, and love the nose ring, first time I noticed that you have one.

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  14. They are so adorable! My mom always tried to make a big deal out of our birthdays, and always threw us a big party with all of our friends. I remember almost every one of those parties. :)

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  15. You inspired me. I need to do more of those little things that are so meaningful. I'd love to see your necklace - you almost made me cry. Aren't children wonderful?!? To me, they are like running, they make you feel alive.

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  16. Looks like a lovely day! Except for the hair-ripping-out part ;-)

    Your girl looks so very happy :) You sure know how to give a great party!

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  17. What a wonderful party...she does look like she's just beside herself with happiness. Nice job, mom!

    I can remember some wonderful times traipsing around in the woods on hikes with my parents, who were SOOO not athletic, outdoors-y people but thought it was important to get us out there. I used to roll my eyes at all of our educational vacations (battlefields, museums, historical sites, etc) while my friends were going to Six Flags, but now I wouldn't have had it any other way. :)

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  18. It's so nice to see that tea parties are still in fashion. The ladies all looked beautiful and the table - gorgeous. Days like that are magic.

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  19. what a fun party!! i love it :)

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  20. Lovely, lovely! Nome is sooooo beautiful!!

    Your run sounds so peaceful/centering.What a special memory from your mama. My fav memory is each Christmas morning, posing for a picture on the second floor with my bro as we look upon a lit fire and our full stockings. Miss my fam :(

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  21. I WANT TO GO TO AN EXTRAVAGANT BDAY PARTY LIKE THAT!!! You are an amazing mom!!! Hope you are having a great weekend!! I love when my mom would check me out of elementary school to go have a picnic (I grew up in St. George aka warm all year long). It was THE BEST!!!

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  22. Amazing pics young lady. Your daughter is a doll. The one where they are all wearing hats is priceless.

    I LOVE running at night and do it every Mon & Wed. I find it's easier to get in a groove.

    Have fun a roller derby. I don't understand why you just didn't leave the tea set out so your husband and his friends could use it for his birthday party.

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  23. What a cute little tea party!! ANd your run sounds awesome!!

    One of my favorite memories from being a child is spending a week at Lake Michigan with my parents, sister, aunt and uncle. We had so much fun every year. My grandparents would always visit while we were there too and my grandpa would bury me in the sand!

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  24. What a great post and fun party! You can see the excitement on your daughter's face...priceless. My fav memory from childhood is exactly what you just posted. I had a tea party birthday party. I remember everything from thinking we were so big to be able to drink tea, down to the beautiful petifours that covered the table for us to nibble from. What memories you're creating for you daughter.

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