what a joy!

i tell you what...there is nothing like the laugh of a 15 month old to really lift your spirits. i really don't know what i would do without thalia keeping me company. last night she went to bed really early - she was wiped out from her first day back at school in almost three weeks! of course, since she went to bed early, she was up at 6:24 this morning! much too early for mommy. I brought her into bed with me, which i have hardly ever done. I was hoping she would fall back asleep for half an hour. Nope. Instead, she just snuggled and cuddled with me. she would get all tangled in the sheets, work her way out, then crawl back to me and put her head on my chest. it was really sweet. definitely started my morning off on the right foot!

before she fell asleep, she was being so silly at the apartment! i asked her if she wanted to take a picture with her hippo. (I am a few weeks late because thalia has spent nearly every day since 15 months in michigan where the hippo is not!) she nodded yes and then tackled the thing!! it was so funny! she just kept wrestling with it! at least she is at the point where she can move it herself...but it is still bigger than she is when she is under it. i wish i would have had a video camera...ya'll would have been rolling on the floor.

thalia's daycare had "wear yellow to be mellow" day on thursday. of course we didn't know about it since she hadn't been there in three weeks. when i went to pick her up, i figured she would be easy to find since she would be the only kid with pink on. instead, i saw a room full of yellow t-shirts. apparently, thalia's extra shirt was yellow! so her teacher changed her after i left, and gave her the "pebbles" ponytail with the yellow bow. talk about being my ray of sunshine!!

thalia has been growing up so fast lately! i feel like she has gotten super tall, and her hair has definitely turned into a true mullet! and she has been repeating more and more things i say. we had her 15 month check up last week and the doctor asked if she said 3-5 words. psh! please!! she says all sorts of words! the funniest thing lately is when she can't put two sounds together, she separates them. so bath becomes bah-th. or chris' new favorite buh-tt. (this is what i get for leaving my daughter in michigan for nearly three weeks!)

anyway, like i said before, i am so grateful to have her here with me, cheering me up. it has been quite the week, month, season, whatever. but all i have to do is get through 7 more days and chris and i are on our way to a two week vacation! there is nothing wrong with that!

thanks to everyone for your prayers. please continue to keep us all in them. it is going to be a long ride.

much love and more sleep,

c, c, and t