Always My Baby

December 5th, 2000 was the year of my daughter's birth. Her bright blue eyes and shining smile warmed my heart the instant our eyes met. She was beautiful. She was my baby. The moment her tiny little fingers grasped around mine I knew I was destined to be a mother. I would always protect her--always love her.

I watched her grow over the years into the young lady she is today. She's in that wonderful stage of  prepubescent years where eye rolls and embarrassment are a frequent factor. You know exactly what I mean. It was perfectly acceptable to shop at Kohl's, but that was so last year. If it doesn't say Aeropostale, it can no longer grace her body. Christmas lists are no longer dolls and stuffed animals, but DS games, iPod Touch and Lady Gaga CD's.  

Her sense of humor is beyond compare. With some of the things that escape her mouth, she has me rolling on the floor. Good grades, travel basketball, a nice bunch of friends, what more could a mother ask for? I don't mind spoiling my kids when they are doing well. They work and play hard. 

Yesterday was my daughter's 11th birthday. We treated her to dinner at Olive Garden and took her gift to the restaurant. When her father told the waitress it was her birthday, my daughter's features turned to crimson. The waitress brought her a cake with a candle in it and asked if my daughter wanted her to sing to which she cringed and murmured a polite 'no thank you.'  

After dinner we sat around the table and handed her the gift. She opened the box which had a padded envelope inside. She opened it and reached in. When she pulled out the box and saw the iPod Touch, her eyes widened and she reached over and gave me a hug. My eyes welled with tears as I tried to blink them back. Seeing the expression of pure joy and happiness on her face was truly all the thanks I needed. She sprang from the booth and embraced her father. I gave a quick glance at my husband as his eyes reddened. That suit of armor is not so tough! 

At that moment, I became cognizant of one thing. No matter how old my daughter is, she will always be my baby.

Halloween Adventures

Halloween rocks. No really, it does. Not only is it fun for kids of all ages, but it's my birthday. Hey! Before you even think about it! I've heard all of the jokes before! You're not funny! Yep. I'm the super cool mom who shares her birthday on the day when the veil between the living and the dead are meshed. What can I say? 

Being on the lower side of 40-ish, I've had a lot of Halloween adventures over the years. You remember--the times when getting into innocent mischief was not risking a lawsuit or someone wasn't running out of their house with a gun in hand.  

Toilet paper, soaping, I've done it all. I have to say my favorite was corning. For those of you who haven't had the pleasure... You take a handful of popcorn kernels and whip it at an aluminum sided house (no windows, please!) The sound was unbelievable, especially when you strike at the same time from front to back. Yep, our neighbors would thunder out of the house cursing up a storm while we hid behind a bush. Good times and clean fun.

One of my fondest memories was when I'd hang with my neighbor, Jimmy. He had this amazing talent of always finding us different 'activities' to get into. It was around Halloween and he had a hideous monster mask. He stole one of his mother's sheets and borrowed his little cousin, placing him on his shoulders. When he covered them both with the sheet, they looked like a 7-foot hunchback. Directly in front of Jimmy's house was a stop sign. He'd wait for the cars to stop and then dash out from the side of his house and scare the--well, you know what he scared. Those were the days when we could stay out until midnight and play in the street with not a care in the world. *sigh* 

What were some of your best Halloween adventures?