The best thing to hold onto in life.....

The best thing to hold onto in life.....

is each other.

- Audrey Hepburn -

Time truly does fly when you're having fun.....

There aren't 31 days in June to officially celebrate.....

so today, instead, I want to shout from the rooftops .....

Happy 6 Month Anniversary Dale.....

You've made all my dreams come true.

A baby is something you carry inside for nine months.....

 A baby is something you carry inside you for nine months.....

in your arms for three years.....

and in your heart until the day you die.

- Mary Mason -

Four months is such a short period of time.....

but the next four months will probably seem like forever.....

your wardrobe is expanding....

your nursery has been started.....

and soon, very soon, we will celebrate your mommy and shower her with love.....

as we count the four months until you are born and can hold you in our arms.

The smallest act of kindness.....

The smallest act of kindness.....

is worth more than the grandest intention.

Monkey, one of the biggest life lessons you'll learn is the act of kindness.....

It's not our property and it's not our responsibility but we mow and care for it in the absence of the owners.....kindness and giving without an expectation of anything in return is one of the best feelings you'll ever experience.....your Papa is "kind"......you'll learn kindness from the moment you take your first breath.....we already love you more than we thought possible.

May no gift be too small to give.....

May no gift be too small to give.....

Nor too simple to receive,

Which is wrapped in thoughtfulness and tied in love.

One thing about your Mimi is she LOVES to send cards for EVERYTHING.....

birthdays - yes, Christmas - yes, first trip to the dentist - yes.....

anything and everything - it's what I do.....

You're thinking no big deal - log onto an E Card site and presto a card is sent.....

but that's not the way that makes me smile....

a card was meant to be delivered via "snail mail".....

you take the time to address the envelope, place the 49 cent stamp in the corner, and wait for the mailman to arrive so you know the happiness you intend for the recipient is on its way.

I am so very lucky that I have friends and family that put smiles on my face the very same way.....

I love going through the mail (snail mail - NOT e-mail) and seeing a pink envelope, or a purple one, or a yellow one, or or or.....

and when I open the mailbox and see a package that is a complete surprise it makes me cry.....

cry, happy tears....

Monkey, may you too have many "happy cries" in your lifetime.....

and may you always feel as loved as I do.

Thank you Miss T.  

This meant the world to me.

No relationship is all sunshine.....

No relationship is all sunshine.....

but two people can share one umbrella and survive the storm together.

With Papa gone so much we try to keep connected as much as possible....

I send him pictures to let him know we are doing great.....

and pictures to show that the rain stopped and the palm trees no longer

sport beards.....

and he sends me texts to make me smile.....

and I know how truly loved I am.....

The words that escape a friend's mouth.....

The words that escape a friend's mouth are "I'll be there when you say you need me".....

but the words that are unheard from a true friend's heart are.....

"I'll be there.....whether you say you need me or not".

Monkey, I have one of those friends.....

a friend who can't wait to meet you.....

who can't wait to see where your life will take you,

and who will dream as big for you as anyone possibly can.....

- Aunt Penny -

She's not your Aunt in the "dictionary" definition because she's not my sister.....

but she's Aunt Penny......

everyone needs an Aunt Penny.....

we're the lucky ones because she's ours.....

Your Aunt Penny is one of those people that will make you smile

 even when you don't feel like smiling.....

she'll talk logic on those days you aren't feeling you want to take the logical route.....

she'll try to convince you cats are better than dogs (but she'll love your dog no matter what).....

she'll take you to McDonald's but she won't share your hamburger.....

she'll say sure, we can go to the Spaghetti Factory, and pretend she likes it.....

she wil insist that being 10 days older than Mimi isn't much, but it is, it's 10 days older.....

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

she'll share her love of Maui with you, while she makes room on her beach chair so that she can tell the story "one more time" about when she put Sarah (the doll) in my suitcase and Mimi

screamed and screamed and screamed.....

she'll play in the sand with you and show you how to build sandcastles to the sky.....

she'll love the curls in your hair.....

she'll tell you how much she loves being Uncle Cole's Godmother.....

and most importantly she'll share Uncle Matt with you.

When you're older Monkey you'll understand why you need an "Aunt Penny" in your life.....

why everyone needs an Aunt Penny.....

and why we are so very blessed that we have "ours".

Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment.....

Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment.....

until it becomes a memory.

- Dr. Seuss -

Mediterranean Cruise

Day # 7  May 26, 2015

Naples - Positano - Pompeii

Monkey, there is a "chick flick" (mommy and Mimi will teach you all about these - they are the ones your daddy and husband will roll their eyes at when you suggest one for movie night)....

but back to the "chick flick" - Under the Tuscan Sun -

There was a girl and she moved to Italy and she found a boy.....

she followed him to Positano....

after that it didn't go so well for them.....

but Positano was beautiful on screen.....

and I so wanted to see it in person.....

that's where Papa comes in.....

he has a way of making dreams come true.....

one day we will hold your hand and dry off your feet as we stroll these streets and play in the water again, TOGETHER with you.

                                                  

Pompeii

Literature tells us that that Pompeii was an ancient city near modern Naples that was buried in ash after the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.....

to walk the streets that have been so beautifully preserved after so many years was breathtaking, a history lesson brought to life.....

and the more you know about he past.....

the better prepared you are for the future.

Oh the places you'll go.....

Oh the places you'll go.....

- Dr. Seuss - 

Mediterranean Cruise

Day # 6  May 25, 2015

Day at Sea

Sometimes the days that you sit back and rediscover each other 

are those days that you wish would never end.

The most important thing....

 "The most important thing a father can do for his children

is to love their mother"

- Unknown -

Past

Present

Future

My father didn't tell me how to live.....

he lived.....

and he let me watch him do it....

Monkey, you have a grandpa smiling down from heaven.....

a Papa that is lost in the cloud he's been on since finding out there was a "you"....

And a daddy that will hold your hand and heart forever.

Happy Father's Day

Coming back to where you started.....

Coming back to where you started 

is not the same as never leaving.

- Terry Pratchett -

Mediterranean Cruise

Day # 5 - May 24, 2015

Barcelona

We'll try to forget the reasons we'd never visited this amazing city.....

Instead we'll remember the many reasons of why we'll be back.....

Once in awhile.....

Once in awhile, 

right in the middle of an ordinary life,

love gives you a fairy tale.

- Author Unknown -

Five years ago today Monkey, your mom and dad married.....

They laugh together and they cry together.....

They play together and they work together....

Together they make this world a better place.....

Together they will be your mommy and your daddy.....

And together they created you.....

Happy Anniversary Taylor and Brian !!!

Not all those who wander.....

Not all those who wander 

are lost.

- J.R.R. Tolkien -

Mediterranean Cruise

Day # 4 - May 23, 2015

Mallorca

There are places you'll travel where you just know you'll be back.....

Mallorca is one of those "you know" places.....

Island breezes and sand in your toes.....

- You Know -

No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel.....

No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel

until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.

- Lin Yutang -

Mediterranean Cruise

Day # 3 - May 22, 2015

Cannes - Antibes

In life there are lessons to be learned.....

Friends who introduce you to little "gems" like Antibes are friends that

should be treasured forever.....

Strolling through the streets of Cannes during the Cannes Film Festival without a single movie star sighting is still perfect when you're "strolling" with the right person....

Little Monkey, France holds our hearts and we can't wait until we fall in love with it all over again - this time with you by our sides.....

The world is a book.....

The world is a book

 and those who do not travel read only one page.

- St. Agustine -

Mediterranean Cruise

Day # 2 - May 21, 2015

Florence - Pisa - Tuscany 

The Leaning Tower of Pisa does truly lean.....

Pinocchio sightings happen frequently.....

And lunch in a Tuscan vineyard is as magical as we imagined.....

Though we travel the world over.....

Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful,

we must carry it with us,

or we find it not.

-Emerson-

Mediterranean Cruise

Day # 1 -  May 20, 2015

Civitavechhi - Rome

Norwegian Epic