Turtles and Toddlers

Who knew a routine drive to preschool would turn into a rescue mission?

Just as we were arriving to the school grounds, we spotted him...

A little Eastern Box Turtle, upside down and alone in the road.

Thanks to some quick reflexes and slow traffic, I was able to grab him and take him to school with us.

Miss Independent quickly named him, "Ocka," and told her classmates every bit of turtle trivia she knew. She was very Steve Irwin-ish" (a.k.a. "The Crocodile Hunter") in her delivery, which seemed to come very easy to her.

Despite my strong desire to keep our little find, my sensibilities kicked in and I remembered some turtle trivia of my own...

Although cute and fairly easy to take care of, turtles do not appreciate being relocated. In fact, many of the species will do everything in their power to return to their personal habitat. (There's a real life message in there that I can seriously relate to, but that's a post for a different day...)

So Mr. Stephen (the school's director) and I took "Ocka" to a marshy spot near where the girls and I found him. And while I'll never know for sure, it looked like "Ocka" had a smile on his little orange face.

All in all, it turned out being a good day for turtles and toddlers.

There was, however, one exception. Through all of the excitement, none of us thought to take a picture. Thank goodness for the Internet!

Mother's Day

Where does the time go? This is the question I've pondered the most since becoming a mom. Even after the hardest of days, my mind asks this question as my head hits the pillow.

Through every stage I've wanted time to slow down - to freeze at some points - so I can enjoy the "moments" a little longer.

After years of thinking I'd never become a mother, I was blessed with the arrival of two beautiful baby girls - truly, two of the greatest blessings in my life. I'm grateful for each day that I get to spend with them - each is an opportunity to see them learn something new, and a chance for me to be a better mother to them than I was the day before.

And, since I'm reflecting in this post, I thought I'd include a couple of my favorite (and first) pictures I took after "Little Miss" and "Miss Independent" came home from the hospital. They were taken with my camera phone, which seemed so awesome at the time. Looking at them now I can see how poor the quality was, but the pictures and those few "moments" I had with them in their infant stage was priceless.

Before I close this post, I need to take a moment to thank two other moms... the two who are nearest and dearest to The Man and me...

Mom Beverly. Thank you for raising a son who is humble, loyal and honest. It's not hard to see where his best attributes come from. Like you, The Man knows no strangers and does everything he can to make others feel at ease. Speaking of which, your love for me, from the moment he took me home to meet you, put me at ease and has been appreciated more than you know. Thank you for being a wonderful mother to us and a loving "Grandma Beverly" to the girls.

Mom. You are an example to me and someone I’ve looked up to for as long as I can remember. Thank you for encouraging me to do my best and for being patient with me during my growing pains. I love your optimism and your sensitivity for others. Those are two of the best gifts you’ve shared with me. I love you more than you will ever know, and I truly appreciate everything you have and are still doing for me.

Happy Mother's Day to all!

Thankful Thursday times two!

After missing last week's Thankful Thursday post I knew I had to document TWO things that I'm thankful for. Luckily, the list is endless so it wasn't too hard.

Since "two" is a lucky number around here, I decided to share the cards that Miss Independent and Little Miss made for their TWO teachers this week. It's "Teacher Appreciation Week" at the preschool and the girls are very thankful for everything that Ms. M and Ms. T does for them.

Of course I'm thankful for them too -- much more than they know.

Now, back to the cards...

Can you tell which cards were made by Miss Independent and which ones were made by Little Miss? Be careful, it's tricky...

Thanks to ALL of the wonderful teachers out there.
We are so thankful for YOU!