From the Bounce U website:
“What do you get when you mix awesome inflatable structures, a clean, climate-controlled environment, incredible customer service, and non-stop excitement in a private-party atmosphere? One heck of a great time, that’s what!!!”
The Girls Ready to Head Out to Bounce U
I had such a great time watching those two little sweethearts having so much fun. I sure love those girls!
One year ago tonight I wrote a post announcing the birth of my little nephew Conley.
I can recall the day Conley was born very clearly. I remember receiving the news that Conley was officially on his way and I remember the excitement/anxiety/worry/jealousy that I felt at that moment. It was less than one month after Jack was had died, so I needlessly worried that Conley too might be born with problems…that he would be sick…or that something – anything – would go wrong. I called almost hourly and remember when I finally got the phone call that he was here…and that he was perfect…and that he was BEAUTIFUL. I remember hanging up the phone and having a good cry…..mostly I was relieved and happy.
Ten months ago I wrote about the anxiety I felt about meeting baby Conley for the first time. I had been avoiding little babies like it was my job, and I was headed to my sister’s house for a week long visit. I didn’t know how I would react to spending so much time with Conley, but it turned out to be another needless worry. I fell in love with him instantly and had no problem cradling him often in my arms.
Well, today was Conley’s first birthday. And let me tell you…Conley is just as sweet as they come. I love that little guy. So much. And it’s a different kind of love than I have for my other nieces and nephews…not necessarily a greater love. Just different. He’s less than two months younger than my little Jack. For the rest of my life he will be the age of my son.
He will always remind me of Jack (although I’m willing to bet they would look NOTHING alike!). And perhaps Jack was part of the farewell party that sent Conley to Earth: one year ago today.
Happy Birthday Conley! Thank you for being born.
Megan LOVES the United States of America.
Currently her favorite books are: “The Scrambled States of America” and “The Scrambled States of America Talent Show”.
She has at least four different United States puzzles.
She has USA flash cards.
She has a United States place mat for mealtime.
She watches little kids sing songs about the fifty states on youtube.
She knows the capitals.
She knows there were thirteen original colonies.
She knows Washington D.C. is the our nation’s capital.
She knows where each state is geographically.
etc. etc. etc.
She is obsessed…(okay…okay…somebody might be fueling the flame…)
Anyway, she has known the “Fifty Nifty United States” song for months now. I haven’t posted it before now because she has a little bit of a speech delay, and she is sometimes hard to understand (I think that her mouth has a hard time keeping up with her mind…which must be working so quickly!!). Tonight she sang it the most clearly yet, so I was excited to share.
I love the random things she finds so fascinating. I love how each child is different, and I especially love the individual that Megan has become.
Megan LOVES her cousins. Each.And.Every. one of them. It is true that she has spent more time with some than others…and she knows those few a little better…but she knows who each of her cousins are and can put name with every face.
Megan used to ask me daily to draw pictures of her cousins. She would tell me which cousin, and what color, and I would draw a little stick figure representation of each cousin. Megan LOVED it! One day, when I was feeling particularly gung-ho, I sat at the computer with her and we designed stick figures for each one of her cousins. It was her favorite thing to do for weeks.
On Christmas morning, Megan found a little white t-shirt in her stocking. She was pleasantly surprised to find that I had taken those stick figures that we made online and put them on a shirt for her. It was an awesome gift…if I do say so myself…
As you can see, Megan has a lot of cousins. On Adam’s side she has ten (Shanna, Andrew, Katie, Jeremy, April, Allison, Michelle, Kimber, Isabelle, and Kyle) and on my side, she has fourteen (Torie, Coulson, Tara, Sarah, Mya, Bradley, Katherine, Tanner, Owen, Noah, Jamison, Marshall, Lyla, and Conley)…AND…with my sister Sarah expecting a baby girl in May…that number will soon be fifteen! Soon Miss Megan will have twenty-five cousins!
Growing up, I only had fourteen cousins total (3 girls…11 boys), and only two are even remotely close to me in age. SO I love that Megan has so many cousins, and especially so many cousins close to her own age. She loves being part of such a large family.
We are so excited for Sarah and Anthony, and can’t wait until May when their little Cora will arrive. I look forward to adding another stick figure to Megan’s shirt!
In November, my little brother Sam posted this note on Facebook. He published it just hours after I found out I was miscarrying (without even knowing), and it was a sweet tender mercy at such a difficult time. Sam loves his little nieces and nephews so much, and he treats them with such kindness. I wanted to record his note here so that I would always have it, and so that Megan would always know how much her Uncle Sam loves her (a feeling that is definitely mutual!).
A little while back, my sister Elizabeth and her family returned to Vegas. Although their stay most likely has an expiration date, I am very thankful that I have had the opportunity to spend more time with Elizabeth than I’ve had since high school, roughly eight years ago. She and I spent much of our childhood together (seeing as that we’re only fifteen months apart in age).
I’m also very grateful to have Elizabeth’s husband Adam around. Adam and I have a lot of the same interests and he’s more than just a great intellectual asset, like when I was taking finite mathematics, (considering that he’s a astrophysicist, a mathematician, and simply put… a genius), he’s got a really good sense of humor and cares deeply for my sister.
But most of all, I’m very grateful to have their daughter Megan more in my life than ever before. When Elizabeth and Adam lived in Iowa, I would read their blog and watch their videos of Megan singing songs at a very young age, saying the ABC’s backwards, reading the refrigerator magnets and then rearranging them to spell her own words, etc. Videos that made me miss a little girl who I barely even knew. Now that she lives a mile away, I get to see her all the time… and that girl… is amazing. Not only is she extremely intelligent, but she also has a great capacity to love. She loves playing with her cousins and loves her parents VERY much. One of my favorite things about Megan is when she gives you a kiss, she wraps her arms around your neck and gives you full attention. When you read her a book at night… she actually listens and, I believe, even knows what’s going on in the story… I can only image what kind of imagination that little girl has. I don’t know how long Megan and her family are going to be living here in Vegas, but I do know one thing, I’ll cherish the relationship that I have with that little girl for the rest of my life.
Don't Worry. 