7 Things I love about Roo

Tomorrow is my little Sunshine girl's 7th Birthday. In honor of this most anticipated (on her part) day I offer up 7 things that I love about my Rootabega.

1. Her Giggle. - When this baby laughs her whole body gets into it. Her nose crinkles, he eyes sparkle and her entire bony little self just wiggles. She's so funny and has the best sense of humor. I anticipate whomever she decides to share her life with is going to be drawn to her because of these things. She lights up the room.

2. Her Snuggles - when she was a baby, she wanted "big snuggles" that included blankets and 10 minutes of hugs and kisses. Today she will run at you from the other side of the room and say, "prepare for the snuggle of your life!" She's all knees and elbows these days but she still wants to get as close as possible to you and show you how much she loves you, one snuggle at a time.

3. Her Memory - My memory is like swiss cheese, but not the kind with big noticeable holes, its the kind with the tiny little holes that from far away look like nothing at all. It worse than big holes, people give you passes on big holes, people give you side eye shade for small holes. Roo has no holes, she remembers everything (except don't run in the house and don't leave cups full of juice where your baby brothers can get them) and she reminds me of everything. I am both exasperated and in awe of her little brain and how it all fits in that tiny freckled head.

4. Her Feet - she has the longest feet of any person I've ever known. Shes kind of like a puppy, I'm waiting for her to grow into the boats that she pirouettes through life on. She loves to don sparkly pink cheetah print shoes and show of those huge feet to the world and she will NOT wear uncomfortable shoes. I hope this continues and that she doesn't come to resent this amazingly solid base she has been provided. Avoid heels and paint those long monkey toes baby girl.

5. Her Faith - Where my older daughter deals with church until it's time for lunch; Sunshine girl wants to learn about faith. She adores going to Sunday School, she seeks out conversations about Our heavenly father, his son, and the love and peace that guide our lives because of his ever present spirit. She asks the most insightful questions and often tests this mommy's ability to make information accessible and relate-able for a 6 year old. We work together to get there and her patience with me is very endearing.

6. Her Music - She is a singing fool, she wants to perform her newest song, always. My extended family still asks her to sing this hilarious song about Spring time that came from the little Einsteins show. "Oh yes, oh yes: It's Springtime!" If she doesn't end up as a hippie tree hugger she will likely be a songstress belting out something somewhere and bless her for not being afraid to do it.

7. Her Heart - When Reagan loves you, you know it because she says it. She doesn't let a single day go by without telling you. She writes you notes, she calls you on the phone, she is an amazingly affectionate young lady. I'm sort of like an elephant momma with my babies, constantly touching them, grabbing them, telling them that I love them more than anything in the world. I'm more than confident that my little Roo feels loved because she lets it shine out to everyone around her.

The Power of Smell, I mean Love

Everyday I get in car and put on my seat belt, and think of my husband. He gets ready for work, puts on his cologne and walks out the door, so the seat belt, right next to my face, smells just like him. He has been wearing the same cologne since our wedding day, It was a gift from me and he has continued using it for nearly 11 years. On days when I am feeling down, that smell makes me feel comforted, it stirs something in my heart and give me a huge dose of warm fuzzies.

Jeeves is a teddy bear, a broad shouldered, tall, affable guy with a great smile and a remarkable impersonation of the cowardly lion, when the mood strikes. He is silly and kind and when I smell that seat belt, or give him a hug, I feel all of the good emotions, and it makes me smile.

I didn't think about this much until last week when he was getting ready to go take a nap and was giving me a hug. It was a longer than usually hug, because he put his face into my neck and rubbed against me and said, "I have missed this smell so much, you know the babies smell like you again?"

It took me a minute to figure out what he was talking about.

I have been wearing a rotating variety of perfumes over the years, new ones come and go, but a few are constant. I ran out of one of them, probably the one I've used the longest, because it is not a super popular fragrance, I had to go out of my way to find a place to purchase a new bottle. I thought nothing of the purchase, or the lack of familiar smell until Jeeves' comment.

Turns out that same warm fuzzy seat belt feeling is something that he experiences on a daily basis when I get ready for work and then deposit a sleeping tiny boy into his arms. My perfume, rubs off onto the babies and they snuggle together having happy mommy/wifey smell moments before the day gets kicked off.

I also discovered that when my perfume smell lingers, the boys will look for me, running through the house, saying "Mommy?" and looking around corners and doorways.

I don't have any remarkable life realizations just the comfy reminder of how much love I have in my life. I'm so profoundly blessed.