success is a funny thing you know…
one person’s greatest feat…their every effort…may seem like nothing to the next person…
that is the beauty of success…it is measured truly only by us…only we can decide what is most important to us…
I can appreciate the “finer things in life”…just like anyone else…but you know…nothing…
nothing…
is quite as rich as moments like these…
looking into this face and seeing a baby grow into a little girl about to embark on her biggest new adventure… 
…this milestone once seemed like an eternity away, yet creeped up at light speed…
kindergarten…
my Ella…
my baby…
…is starting kindergarten tomorrow…
she is serious…a bit playful…and very excited to start school…
Ella and I had so much fun shopping for some school clothes, got our nails painted, and talked about how exciting starting school would be…
seeing my babes grow, sharing their days with them, teaching them….and coming to these milestones with smiles and a few tears is one of many of my life’s successes…and I have been thinking about that a lot lately…
I am constantly trying to keep my focus and dedicate myself to being successful at the right things…
I am amazed at the potential that we all carry within ourselves…I admire the abilities and talents that we as mother’s have been given and cultivate within ourselves…I remember some challenging and killer shifts in my (short) career as a nurse, I love the opportunities I get to get out and make pretty pictures for people, I love learning new things and creating…
but today…as I sit here with both my heart half empty and aching, and full as ever with joy, I realize that motherhood will always be my greatest success in life. It is my privilege to pour my heart, soul, and talents into it…
I am thankful for that privilege…it truly is nothing less than the greatest work I will ever do…
ella is so cute and sensitive…I found her dressing for bed the other night…
“they sure grow up fast”…she said as she looked out the window as she donned her latest hannah montana bedtime get-up…
I asked her why she said that…if she had overheard someone talking like that…
she said…”I just am not your baby girl anymore…” and she started to tear up and reach out for me…
I took her in my arms and told her about how much I cherished what a sweet and beautiful baby she was…I shared all my favorite memories of each of her many 5 years of life and finished up by telling her that I am not sad she is not a baby anymore…that I love her more today than ever before…that watching her grow is one of the best things in my life…
she hugged me and looked up and I could see her frown slip away into a smile…and then she showed me for the 100th time what outfit she was to wear on the first day of school…
these moments…the every days that we are given…the ones that often feel boring…frustrating…”a waste”…like we are doing nothing important…that we are doing nothing that makes us successful…
can be our greatest successes…
these smiles are our paychecks…
(she was totally giggling as she watched a rollie pollie “attack” my arm…apparently those little things are quite dangerous )
here’s to being successful at the right things…
good luck tomorrow Ella! We are so proud of you…
watch out world…here she comes!
xoxo
mommy
