The Wisdom of Grace Elizabeth

Since Dave and Emma went to Wegmans this morning to do the weekly food shopping, Grace and I decided that we'd head out for breakfast. We sat there chatting and eating and taking in the world around us, and then, after a quiet moment, she says to me: "You know mama, the world planned for us to be together." 

This sweet soul never ceases to amaze me and I am truly honored that the world chose me to be her mama. Thank you world for planning for us to be together. I am forever grateful. xo

{This Moment} Seven Candles On Her Cake

{This Moment} - A Soule Mama Friday ritual. A single  photo - no words- capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you are inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments section for all to find and see. We wish you a lovely weekend! xo

Mountainside

The girls had another fabulous lesson today capped off by their instructor encouraging them to join Wachusett's DEV Team next season! They are over the moon (and so are we)! xo

Wordless Wednesday::At The Library

A Request

The little girl in the picture above is Allison. She's the daughter of one of my dearest friends (and she is also one of Grace and Emma's dearest friends as well) and she is easily one of the sweetest souls walking the Earth. Almost two-and-a-half years ago Allison was diagnosed with Kawaski Disease. It was such a super scary time as she was so very, very sick. Our beloved pediatrician is also their pediatrician and Dr. Rugo would not rest until the mystery of what was making Allison so sick was figured out. Suspecting KD, Dr. Rugo sent Allison for an echo with a cardiologist out of UMass Worcester. As soon as the doctor doing the echo saw the aneurysms Allison was sent straight to Boston Children's Hospital. Fast forward two years to her first Spartan Kids Race this summer and you'd never guess that she had been so very sick just a couple of years before! 

It is truly an honor and a privilege to be connected to this incredible family! The Shackelford/Rezac clan has never ceased to amaze us, and so it should come as no surprise that Allison's dad and her uncle have been working together to come up with a medical device to help improve the lives of kids with KD and aneurysms.

Please watch this video and then, if you are able, make a donation to help get this device one step closer to reality. You can also like the Pegasus Therapeutics Facebook page, and share this blogpost to help get the word out about the work that Aubry and Dave are doing. Every little bit counts and together we can help make a difference in the lives of kids with KD and aneurysms. xo

Breathing In Spring

Friday found us at Tower Hill Botanic Gardens for a kids flower arranging class that Grace and her dearest friend Meaghan signed up for, and goodness what a perfect place to be that day! The flowers, the colors, the lemons, the oranges and the incredible scents were just what our souls needed at this point in the winter. It wasn't until we walked through the door that we realized how much we were in need of spring. It's been a long last month full of record breaking snow, cold, ice and ice dams (a few of which, sadly, are leaking into our sweet old farmhouse) and the inability to be outside due to subzero temperatures really is beginning to wear on even the most winter loving among us. Since it seems as if winter and all that goes with it will be hanging around for awhile longer I think we'll need to plan a few more trips to Tower Hill to help us pass the time as we wait for spring to truly arrive. xo

A Party For Emma

This past New Year's Eve when we were sharing our hopes and dreams for 2015 Emma stated that her hope was to have a birthday party this year. In years past she has always talked about having a birthday party but when the time would get closer to plan one she would end up changing her mind feeling that she was not ready for one just yet. There have been family celebrations for her  birthday and there have been gatherings with close friends but never before has she had a "real friend party" as she took to calling it. When she decreed that 2015 would be the Year of the Birthday Party we knew she was serious (and totally ready). 

And what a great party planner she is! The theme, location, friends to invite, invitations and cupcake choices were all made by Emma. Watching as she ordered the cupcakes from the bakery you would have thought she was older than her years. She exuded confidence, asking questions when she needed clarification and carefully making each decision that was required of her. It was a sight to behold! 

The day of the party she was a gracious hostess, greeting each guest as they arrived and welcoming them into the room where games were being played. When it was time for cake and ice cream she insisted upon passing out the cupcakes to each of her friends herself, and when it was time for them to leave she thanked each friend for coming as she handed each one a thank-you gift bag that contained the glitter play-dough she and Grace had made a few days before.

Thank you so much to everyone who made her first birthday party such a truly special day! It is a day that she will treasure forever, and was surely the cherry on top of the sundae that was her seventh birthday celebration! xo

Seven

Today we spent the day celebrating our sweet Emma Faith and her seventh trip around the sun! How is it possible that our youngest daughter is seven years old?! It seems like just yesterday that she was born, and here we are celebrating her seventh birthday today. Each year really does pass more quickly than the one before it (or at least it seems that way). From the moment she woke up this morning until the moment she went to bed this evening she didn't stop smiling. "Mama, I love being seven!" was declared several times today!

Thank you, darling girl, for the laughter, joy, wonder, helpfulness and love that you bring to our days and to our world. We cannot wait to see what this next trip around the sun has in store for you. May this next year be full of all that you love best! We love you to the moon and stars and back! xo