Are These The Happiest Faces You Ever Did See?

"For you see, each day I love you more

Today more than yesterday and less than tomorrow."

~Rosemonde Gerard

 
This picture just melts my heart.  They both look like the happiest people in the world.  Max loves his Grammie with all of his heart.  He is such a little lover boy.  Whenever he sees this woman, he runs to her and gives her the biggest, full-on body hugs and kisses.  It makes me so happy and satisfied to see my baby love my mommy oh so much.  I love her with all my heart and I never doubted for a moment that my baby would love her, but it is so amazing to see this relationship first hand and to see just how much they adore each other.
 
Every Saturday morning, Max likes to be Grammie's wake up call.  He will go up to Grammie's bedroom door and knock on the door all the while saying "Knock, knock Grammie.  Grammie, Grammie, Graaaaammmiiiieeee.  Knock, knock."  She will open the door and he will jump in to her arms and put her in a bear hug topped with a kiss.  I can't imagine waking up a better way! 
 
They just bring each other so much joy and I am so thankful that I was able to have a grandbaby for this amazing woman.  She would tell you "It's about TIME!", but as we know, all on your own time.  There is no need to rush someone who is not ready for this ultimate endeavour.  And now I am ready to have a dozen beautiful babies!  This is why it's a good thing that I didn't start having children at a younger age.

The Smile Says It All

"Everyone smiles in the same language." ~Author Unknown

I think the smile on Max's face says it all.  We have been really enjoying this holiday season and it is all thanks to this little guy.  Kids just make Christmas what it is supposed to be.  For the last few years, I have bought in to the notion that Christmas is so hectic and such a struggle.  The commercialization of Christmas had indeed taken over and I became a little less enthused about it.

Now my joy and happiness for the season has returned.  I even find myself listening to the Christmas music station on Pandora while I am at work!  Crazy!  I wish that I could say that I am ahead of the game this year as far as the shopping goes, but that is just not the case.  But I don't view it as a burden this year.  I find myself excited to find the perfect gifts for the ones I love. 

Max is loving this holiday season.  He loves to sing the songs and hear all the stories about baby Jesus and Santa.  He loves making and deacorating the cookies.  He loves to deacorate the tree and turn the lights on.  It has been so exhilirating sharing all these little traditions with him and as a family.  He has brought us a whole new appreciation for the holiday and I am just thankful that it has come back to us.  This is a very special time of year and it's is easy to loose sight of what is important.  But thanks to motherhood and a special little boy, I have been pulled out of my "Bah-Humbug" hole of negativity.  I can't wait to see his face on Christmas morning after Santa has arrived!  What a magical time of the year.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and all your family. 

True Joy

"True joy is the nearest which we have of heaven, it is the treasure of the soul, and therefore should be laid in a safe place, and nothing in this world is safe to place it in." - John Donne

If you haven't noticed, I am a bit of geek when it comes to little nuggets of wisdom in the form of quotes. I keep a journal and every time I stumble across words that speak to me I jot them down. This particular quote is one that I find to be so true.

True joy is such a gift and some days it's seems hard to find it. I always know it's in me and now that I have Jeff and Max, it's predominant in my life. But let's be realistic...there are some bad days. When your days are so overwhelming with work or when you have things in your life that pile up because you just don't seem to have enough time in a day to get everything accomplished, it can be tough to realize your joy. But joy is about as good as it gets.

That feeling of floating above everything, your heart soaring and there are no words to accurately capture those moments. That joy that can bring tears to your eyes that is beyond your control. I am now a firm believer in the words of Victor Hugo: "Joy's smile is much more close to tears than it is to laughter".

This type of joy seems new to me but how amazing it is. The day I got married and the day Max was born where two of the most recent and potent examples of this type of joy. Elation is close to describing it, I guess. It still feels grossly inadequate for what is conjured up within me when reflecting on these days. I embrace all the days ahead and all of life's moments that will provide this kind of joy in my life.

This true joy is attributed to God, Jeff, Max, my family and friends. I just want to thank them all for all of the joy and happiness and hope they realize the impact they have in my life. My cup overfloweth!