o the ways you make me smile...

little boy...you bring so much joy to my world! you have such a funny way...i love the way you see the world, the way you care for others and the curiosity that guides you. you make me smile. you are a dreamer, an explorer, a jokester and a snuggler...i just adore you. i find that i miss you while you are sleeping even though you are so tiring when your awake...you bring me such joy. i love to watch you, i love to listen to you, i love to give you kisses and whisper to you. you make my life complete. there is nothing i would rather do than wake up to your silly smiles. tonight at dinner you had daddy and i cracking up and you, my darling, just give a sly smile...its like you know (and i think you do). i can't wait to see the boy you grow up to be...the world is your oyster my little prince. xo

little boy, big ROAR.

as i sit here with you peacefully sleeping behind me I wanted to take a moment to cherish all the little things that I love about you. you, my sweet bubs, are smack in the middle of your two's and you live out every bit of what they like to call the "terrible twos". so while there are moments that I find you incredibly challenging with your profound stubborness, your groawly determination and your unhindered adventure each of these traits are what make you the confident, friendly, excited, happy, silly, fun, interesting little boy that you are. there are so many things that I love love love about you.
we just spent this week up in DC taking in all the sights and doing new things, we had such a fun time having our little adventures and exploring things that we hadn't seen in awhile and i just loved seeing it through your eyes. you were soooo excited about riding the "choo choo" (metro) to go see "the giraffes and lions and elephants and the panda bears and the giraffes, momma." you could barely stand it, you were telling everyone who would listen. i love that you make friends wherever you go, you walk right up and say "hi boy, i brittin" even though you mostly make friends with cute little girls. people constantly comment on how handsome, friendly, cute, and energetic that you are...you command attention wherever you are. i have had people tell me that you are going to grow up to be president one day because of how you work a room. i love it, but it can be so tiring. you just don't stop. you insist on walking by yourself and love to be independent, you always know what you want.
you are very aware of other people, you notice when someone looks sad or scared or lonely and you are quick to offer a kiss, a hug or a hand to hold. you are such a sweet little boy, i can see just how important people are going to be in your world.
you get so excited about gummies and will eat just about anything you can dip. right now you are obsessed with washing your hands and brushing your teeth (i guess i must be doing my job), the only problem is that you want to do it "by mysef, momma".
you love music and are free to dance like no one is watching, you play with abandon, you are constantly friendly, you are contagiously silly, you are extremely coordinated (we are certain you will grow up to play sports), and you are super intrigued by surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding. to put it succinctly you are wide open and you are all boy.
there are certainly moments when i want to pull out every bit of my hair, because i can without a doubt say you know how to drive me crazy but, sweet boy, i am soooo proud of the person you are becoming each and every day. of the little boy who loves to give snuggles, who almost always remembers to say "thank you" and "please" and who is certain to get his "kiss and hug" before bed and who tells me "i wub you very much, momma". i love you more than i can even fathom being able to and i have to be so careful not to be the annoying mom who thinks her kid is the best, cuz i do. you make my life so much more full (and busy) and i can't imagine what we would do without you. i am so excited to see what tomorrow, next week, next year will bring because with you life is never dull. we love you snuggly dinosaur you make life worth living. xoxo

reminders...

this week the snuggly dinosaur and i have been in florida for a so-called vacation. it has been a full week to say the least, but admidst the busyness i have had a few moments to reflect on what's important in my life. b's has been sick this week (just with an earache) so much time was spent calling insurance companies, trying to make appointments and sitting in doctor's offices- not something that you really want to do on vacation. but during these frustrating moments while my baby is feeling so icky, i was reminded of my most important job. while much of me wanted to be at the beach, hang out with my friends, and/or do anything but be in a doctor's office...while i was sitting in there holding my bubs i realized that this is what makes my life what it is. it is my joyful responsibility to take care of this little guy and to convey to him especially when he hurts...that everything is going to be okay. so i snuggled him, whispered comfort in his ear, and cherished the fact that i have a child to take care of and that he is still little enough to need his momma.

what is a snuggly dinosaur...

well let me begin by saying that i have a very snuggly dinosaur living at my house and while he requires a lot of work, i am completely enamored by him! a snuggly dinosaur is one part cuddly and one part big ROAR. he is messy (really messy)and loud and silly, he is gentle and happy and delightful. he is full of curiosity and wonder. he loves to play, he loves to run, he loves to dance, he loves monkeys and he loves life. he is busy, busy, busy. he sleeps like a rock. there are so many things about snuggly dinosaurs that are wonderful. my snuggly dinosaur is quite a character and this blog is all about him and his adventures. his name is brittin. enjoy some moments through his eyes.