"Cheese!"

There's just something about the smile of a child that can make even the worst day of your life tolerable.

If you've been reading my blogs lately you know that I've been going through a little bit of a "Woe is me" slump. I've been frustrated with my life and the fact that I cant change 90% of things I feel are wrong about it. I was mired in the mugwhumps of the winter blahs. But spending part of this last weekend with my nieces gave me the little Oomph, that I needed to get over that road block and back on track.

My 2 year old niece Leah had asked last week "How 'bout, Jo Jo." She was asking to spend time with me. This last Saturday I went over to take her and my other niece Susie to get Susie's 3 month old pictures taken. And when I arrived at their house Leah ran over to me, laid her head on my knee and hugged my leg (I was sitting holding Susie) and told everyone else in the room "My Jo Jo!" She didn't know or care that I was having a crappy week. All she knew is that she wanted me and was happy that I was there. All the crap in my life took a back seat to loving her and her sister. Susie is almost 3 months old and can't talk yet, but she can still melt your heart with those chubby little cheeks and a smile that goes on for miles.

We had a great time at the mall getting pictures taken, playing in the play area, and then finally a visit to the Disney store. We dined on French fries and Pizzi (Pizza.) Leah's big thing right now is sharing, so she would offer me a bite of each fry before eating it herself. Susie offered up beautiful smiles and cuddles. We got several great pictures. Bolstered by the time spent with them I was ready to face this coming week.

Today didn't disappoint as a Monday from hell. You could definitely tell that it was the Monday before a full moon. Work totally sucked! But guess what! I made it through the day. And, I made it through the day with a smile on my face. Then when I got home this afternoon, I went through my closest looking for a dress to wear to my mom's Citizen of the year award ceremony this weekend. I was able to find about 5 potentials for the semi formal affair. Which was quite a blessing since I've been struggling on my diet. It was a boost to be able to fit into some of the "skinny" dresses that have been hanging in the closet for a while.

So one work day down, 4 to go until the weekend. Onwards and upwards.

-Joelle

Here they are, Leah and Susie. (Aren't they beautiful!)