What a heavenly day...

The day Tara and I had today might seem like any ordinary day to a lot of you moms out there...but to me, it's felt perfect. I had spent the better part of last evening cleaning, so waking up to a freshly scrubbed house was SO nice :) First thing this morning after seeing Sean off to work, I was able to get my shower before the baby woke up. Yay for mommy! Then, I got to work finishing what I had grown too sleepy to finish last night. Namely, vacuuming and cleaning baseboards. Yay, checked off the list. Then, Tara woke up and "helped" me finish cleaning in her own way. That pretty much meant getting into everything she could because mom was too busy vacuuming :) Then I felt like it was an oatmeal morning, so Tara helped me cook some. She helped pour in the oats, and felt like such a big girl while she helped stir the pot. While mom finished cooking, she kept running up behind me and grabbing my leg for kisses. I swear, there's nothing better than looking down at her beautiful upturned face with a big grin ready for mommy to plant a kiss on those sweet lips...After breakfast, we watched an episode of Calliou, and then read almost every book she could get her little hands on! I pulled out a new book we had picked up for her, and she just loved reading it! So many pretty colors, and pictures, such a sensory experience for her :) Then we got a call from my cousin Heidi, who wanted us to meet her at the playground down the street. So Tara played while mommy did her makeup, and we took off for the park. We got to meet Heidi's new baby Carter for the first time (boy, is he a cute one!) Tara spent the next hour or so playing with cousins Jack and Logan, and she actually climbed all over the play structure for the first time! This was a big deal for me, because up until now, she would only want to eat woodchips and watch the big kids. Today though, she was watching her cousins climbing past her; and going down the slide. She got upset, because she couldn't climb the structure the same way they could! lol So with some help from mom, she made it to the top. She went down that slide over and over and over again! Amidst all the playing, she called out to Logan by name!!! Heidi and I both heard her call out "Logan!", and I started smiling. Big mommy moment...Then we walked home for lunch, and along the way she wanted to stop and pick every single flower growing in the field between Heidi's house and ours. So we had quite the bouquet by the time we walked through the door! After half a peanut butter sandwich and half a banana, she was ready for her nap. So we read a few more books, and off to lala land went baby girl. Mom then had a break to have lunch herself, and just relax before starting in on three loads of laundry, and dishes. But what a beautiful morning it was...

Fast forward to right now, she's just spent the last couple minutes scooping up my favorite (and baby's favorite) plum-colored chenille throw blanket, and pulled it; along with herself onto the couch next to me. She promptly arranged the blanket over her legs "just so" and then pulled it over her head and laughed in delight...Her laugh is the most beautiful sound in the world. I get to hear it all the time! I can't believe how lucky I am...

Life is amazing.