My wish for you...

I was looking back at the girls baby books. There was a question in them... What is your wish for your child? I answered the standard answer... that they be happy and fulfilled, and while I still hope that they be both of those things my ultimate wish that I think will help them be most successful and happy has changed. I want both of you to be nice. I want you to know the difference between being well-liked and being popular. There is a definite difference. Being popular infers that you are somehow superior to someone else. I spent way too much time trying to be popular when I should have spent more time just being nice. Not that I wasn't a nice person but to be popular you often have to go along with the crowd and make some decisions you might not have made if you really looked at the impact on everyone else besides yourself. Being universally well-liked because you are truly a nice person will serve you much better in life. Will you still get dealt lemons... yeah of course... but your ability to spin a positive outlook on it will be better. Will you have people take advantage of you? Yes you most likely will... but you will have many more people that look up to you, love you, and want to help you because you have been a positive light in their life. As I type I am thinking back to my own high school years. There are two girls in particular that stand out because they were TRULY nice people. They still are incredibly nice good people. I am so blessed that through all of my shenanigans in high school I was able to get to know them because of my dance team. I believe they both read my blog and I hope they know how much I appreciate them and look up to them. When you think back on your high school years... was your Prom Queen the most popular girl in school or the most well-liked? Often it would be the first but my senior year it was so amazing to see the nicest girl in school get it. She is such an inspiration to so many. Along with her best friend I have never heard either of these women, even when they were girls, say something bad about someone. They are the first to celebrate your happy moments and the first to send a prayer in your times of need. When I think about what I want for my girls... It's not for them simply to be happy but for them to be nice... for everyone around them to feel better about their world because they were in it... because that is how they make me feel every moment I spend with them!

How things change...

I have a good friend and loyal blog reader that says he loves my "How life has changed" Facebook posts. I didn't realize how many I have written until he pointed it out but it's so true. The latest basically mentioned how Fourth of July went from my favorite holiday ever to that terrible WEEK that people keep my kids up all night long because they are setting off fireworks. I have always loved the 4th. All you have to do is drink beer, eat hotdogs,be with friends and family, and listen to country music. I know other people change a few of those ingredients around but for me all 4 of those are a necessity. But its definitely harder with kids. You have to work around naptimes, keep applying sunscreen, keep a constant eye (did you know the number 1 day of the year for fatal accidents in children is the 4th?), and then to top it off you are doing all of this sleep deprived because the neighbors have been shooting fireworks off all night long waking the kids up repeatedly since the 1st. So the Fourth of July has changed a bit. I still did manage to drink a beer, eat a hotdog, listen to country music, and spend time with friends and family. I also discovered that from the front yard of our new house you can see the fireworks PERFECTLY! It was awesome. There is nothing more amazing that watching the wonder in your children's eyes as they watch the fireworks! Here is a new "How things change"... What is attractive... what is sexy... how that has changed. About 10 years ago I was attracted to this hot guy on the dance floor of a country bar. He looked great in his jeans and he had awesome dance moves. He was so confident out there I had to find out more about him. Although I am still attracted to his moves, confidence, and the way he looks in a good pair of jeans... that is not the number 1 reason I am attracted to him anymore... Is there anything sexier than seeing a hot guy confidently carrying a Vera Bradley diaper bag? What about watching him rock his baby to sleep? Tonight we went down the street for some ice cream. Although it was close to the baby's bedtime and it was hot and I knew she'd be getting cranky... I totally forgot to grab a pacifier. Right as I was getting frustrated my husband reaches in his pocket and pulls out not 1 but several pacifiers. I absolutely love this about him. No matter where we are going he always remembers to stuff his pockets with pacifiers. To give a shout out to my mom here she is super good at finding and collecting pacifiers too... I am not... at all. I imagine that the days that I am at home searching the house and unable to find a single one they are all sitting in my husbands pockets while he's at work. I am so blessed to have a husband that puts his family first and takes such good care of all the little details in our lives. There is nothing more attractive than a good daddy!