happy birthday emeline!

yup, it's another birthday post. yesterday was my mom, today it's emeline!

it's hard to believe that this little munchkin is a year old already! i know i'm only her aunt but my lord, this child has stolen my heart. i hoped her and i would have a special bond because of how close her mommy and i are but you never really know. i might be biased but i think we're pretty tight. ;)

i was so privileged to witness her incredible entrance into this world and i hope i always get to be there for her special moments. seriously, this child is a pure joy to be around. she is one of the happiest, silliest and lovable kids you'll ever meet. she has this ability to make people feel so special and loved. she can connect with strangers in an instant. it's a gift and one that i pray she always holds onto!

since kate and i spend a lot of time together i get to see emeline a lot, too and it's awesome. watching her little personality come to life over the last year has been such a joy. she's a treasure to be around and truly a blessing from the lord. and watching my sister be a mom? wow. one of the most amazing things ever. seriously. if you know kate, you know she loves hard and emeline is no exception. that little girl is so blessed. and her daddy is pretty cool, too.  :)

oh eme kay! you are so loved! i'm so happy that i get to be your aunt susie! i hope you have a very happy birthday today and that God will continue to grant health and peace to you in this next year. love love love you dear one!

 

ps- fun fact: emeline is the official link that makes me and my bestie, lyryn related. haha... ok maybe not officially but we like to think so. we're both her aunties which is awesome since kate is my sister and declan is her brother. pretty sweet huh? :)

happy birthday mom!

it has been a whirlwind week... most of my free time from work was spent helping kate get all the final details together for eme's 1st birthday party on saturday. it was an awesome day and she posted a fun photo recap on her blog. if you haven't seen it yet- be sure to check it out. she's amazing.

today is a very special day! it's my mom's birthday today. i feel like every year her birthday gets lost and/or combined with mothers day. she's always so gracious about it of course but i still wanted to give her a little blog shoutout.

my mom is one amazing lady. if you know her, you'd understand. she's one of the strongest women i know and so compassionate and giving. if you're sad or upset she'll be the first person to come hug you or cry right alongside you. she's so incredibly selfless and would give you the shirt off her back if you needed it. my mom has definitely taught me how to love others... especially those who the rest of the world rejects.

she's a spiritual mom to so many. most people call her "mama ruthie" and there's a reason for that. they feel the love of a mother from her. i'm one of only 4 people who actually get to say that she really is their mom. a pretty special privilege if i do say so myself. you always know you've got a great mom when people tell you how jealous they are and that they wish they had a mom like yours! the older she gets the more adventurous she becomes. she's gone to africa with me twice and that's a tough trip!

so happy birthday mom! i hope you get to rest a bit today and soak in this beautiful day. thanks for all the love you to continue to pour out to me and the rest of our family. we're so blessed to have you! i love you so much and i'm so honored to be your daugher! 

 

milestone week

i'm gonna celebrate for a minute and toot my own horn so bear with me...

i hit my 30lbs weight loss monday!!!! hooray!!!

i'm not great at celebrating these victories because i'll admit, i'm always looking towards the next milestone. as soon as i hit 30 i was trying to figure out if i can hit 40 by my family vacation. where was the stopping to be present in the current accomplishment? my sister lovingly reminded me of this monday as i was already looking ahead... quickly moving on from the joy of that moment.

so i thought i would post on my blog as a way of reminding myself to stop and celebrate and be thankful for how far i've come! i still feel like i have so far to go, but that's alright. one day at a time. this isn't a get-rich-quick scheme. this is a lifestyle change. a retraining of the brain. self-discipline. focus. determination.

i've realized over the last couple of months, as i've had to let some dreams go, that it can be hard coming up with new dreams... or realizing ones that have been pushed down for so long... and yesterday it hit me. this is one of my dreams. to be healthy. to not be overweight. to be happy in my own skin. and i'm going for it! sure it might not change the world, but it will change me and how i interact with it which makes it positive and something i should be proud to be working towards.

happy wednesday!