holding on.

My daughter is nearly 14 months old, a toddler....

This time last year she was just shy of two months old. Now, I certainly enjoy reflecting on the past and taking some time to get a little sappy now and then, but yesterday at the park took it to a whole other level.

She went from snuggling in one swing...

...to giggling with laughter in another

I smiled with pride as I thought over the past year and I almost felt a little sad at every comment my husband or I had made in which we said "I can't wait until she can do ________." We meant well, but man...it's unbelievable all that she has done in the past year!

My cuddly baby is now a very active and happy little girl. She loves her daddy, giggles over everything, and now hands me her elephant and pacifier at the end of the nap. She is SUCH a big girl. :)

I also smiled with pride thinking of all the moments my husband and I have gotten it "right" over the last year--the moments where we disregarded "responsibility" or "cleaning" and got down on that floor to play with that active lil' gal. We often talk about how to really treasure this time when our children will be little and look back with the fondest of memories---and the least amount of regrets possible.

So far, I think we're getting it "right" more often than not. We let her get messy, crunch leaves, climb in bed with us in the morning to watch cartoons, walk/run through the Olathe mall--(because it's apparently SO FUN to do that), and we play...and play...and play some more. I'm sure we'll pretend to eat hundreds of meals or drink hundreds of drinks before the game grows old to Lucy. I'm certain we'll pretend to sleep on the floor hundreds of more times so she can dive into us and crack up when we pretend to be startled.

But mostly I'm certain that I love being a mommy (even on the worst of days), I love watching her explore her world, and I have LOVED watching my husband tranform into a father who will get down on the floor EVERY night and play with his lil' gal even after he's had the longest day as well.

~holding on to these moments~