This week was bittersweet.

My mama headed back to her home on the west coast, leaving a little Mema-shaped hole in our house. It was a great three weeks with her- we cooked, laughed, cried and drank a few good bottles of wine; all while watching my little girl grow before our very eyes. And just like all our goodbyes, the countdown to her next visit has officially begun, thankfully just a few short weeks away.

On the other hand, the sun finally came out- bringing the warmth and official feelings of spring. Maddie and I took countless walks in the park, enjoyed music class with a few baby friends, and we celebrated eleven months of our baby girl.

A little over three years ago, I decided to make a change and embarked upon a career in education. I started with my own education- beginning my masters in early 2013; and I immediately fell in love. Being back in the classroom, learning, and interacting with both educators and little ones inspired me daily.

By the end of that year, I had landed a job in an elementary school. With virtually no practical experience, I learned on the job daily. Most of it came naturally to me, and I quickly found my niche in the upper grades. I felt comfortable in this upper-elementary world- consisting of interesting content and little humans that I could easily relate to.

When I would chat with co-workers and friends, they were always surprised by my gravitation- insisting that lower grades were more fun, and maybe "easier" to teach. For me, however, I found it terrifying. The reason why summed up in one word: singing...

If I ever had expectations for my first Mother's Day, they were far exceeded this past weekend.

My tribe outdid themselves: Friends sent happy wishes; in-laws joined us for brunch; my mama sent me a very unnecessary, but much appreciated, bouquet of my favorite flowers; and the sunshine finally broke through- a welcome treat after what felt like weeks of gloominess. 

I truly meant it when I said all I wanted was to be Maddie's Mom this Mother's Day...

As I've mentioned before, books have been an important part of our daily routine from the beginning. In fact, I don't believe a day has gone by over the past ten months without turning the pages of a sweet story

I bought Madeline her first book months before she was even in my belly- a board book version of Guess How Much I Love You. In the throws of fertility treatments, this purchase served as a reminder of the little one that would eventually come, and the memories we would someday create as a family. Today, that book will forever remind me of that strange time in our life.

Books are funny like that- serving as symbols of various events throughout our lives. Over the past several months I can think of countless examples: The Poky Little Puppy will always remind me of the time my six month old sat patiently while I read the entire book to her (and that's a long one, folks); Giraffes Can't Dance will always conjur giggles as I remember my husband's rendition; I will forever think of Valentine's Day when I see You Are My Sunshine; and Bathtime Peekaboo will always make me nostalgic for the first time my mother read to my daughter.

And the truth is, no matter how many books one has in their library- there is always room fore more stories; more memories to be made.

It's Cinco de Mayo!

Its been a while since I've celebrated this holiday- the fiestas for the fifth of May a little less vibrant on the east coast than they were on the west.

Luckily, my mama is in town on this years Cinco de Mayo- and that chica can make a margarita! 

She's pretty particular- fresh lime juice only- but it's the best tasting margarita we've had to date. So if you find yourself pouring a cocktail tonight, pickup these fresh ingredients and have yourself a damn good 'Rita.

Mother’s Day is almost here. This year being my first as a mom.

Up until now, I ascribed to the notion that this day was just another Hallmark Holiday. A day for us to send flowers, buy a nice card, or maybe a gift certificate to the spa.

But I now know that its so much more than that- more than macaroni art from a Kindergartener or a piece of jewelry from Tiffany’s.

When I first had my Madeline Mae, I was told the same adage over and over:

The days are long but the years are short.

What? I didn’t get it at first; but now that ten months have passed in the blink of an eye, I do.

Days are long: They are tired. They are caffeine-fueled. They are spit-up filled. They are sometimes showerless. They are comprised of missteps and learning opportunities. And they are exhausting. But, boy, do they go by fast.

I’ve gone back and forth as to what I will ask for this Mother’s Day- fantasizing about my very first one in the early morning haze of motherhood...

Happy last Friday of April- I can't believe this weekend will officially bring us May.

I can remember time moving at a painfully glacial pace as a child- Impatiently counting down the days to summer or Christmas or a visit from my grandparents.

Today, time vanishes in a blink. Yesterday my teeny-tiny newborn transformed into a little girl before my eyes- giving herself a bottle at the ripe old age of 10 months old while mom and dad shared a morning cup of coffee.

Obviously she's still my baby girl- as she'll likely forever be. But, as cliché as it sounds, it truly feels like yesterday that we brought her home- when we were terrified of breaking her and were utterly unaware of what we were doing.

And while I'm a little less scared of breaking her these days, I'm still learning as I go along on  these quickly passing days- calling my mom a little less often with tearful questions.

A little over a year ago we celebrated our baby girl at a beautiful backyard baby shower- just a few weeks before she arrived.

We were so blessed to celebrate with family and friends, all of whom gifted us so many amazing things in hopes of making that journey into parenthood all that much easier.

The best part about these helpful tokens was that we were given essentials we could use throughout the first year of new parenthood. Some of my most favorite gifts have been the ones we couldn't necessarily use right away. Of course we love and needed the onesies, swaddles and binkies; but there's something about opening a gift or two every few months throughout that first year that makes you feel like a kid on Christmas the whole year through.

This B.O.B Stroller is one of those gifts.

I've been reading to Maddie Mae since the day she was born- my hospital bag packed with a few favorite bedtime stories, in addition to a loaded iPod to play her first lullabies.

And while she probably didn't understand the stories I read, I wanted to instill the act of reading into our daily routine- hoping it would someday perpetuate a love of books. And today, whenever I see Maddie light up at the pages, I'm grateful I made that a priority from the start.

Recently, I've gotten really into making breakfast. I was never a big breakfast-girl growing up, but in my adult years I've made a point to at least eat something- a bar here, a smoothie there. But now that I've been cooking breakfast for Maddie Mae on a regular basis- the girl loves her pancakes- I've started thinking about some quick and delicious meals I can make for myself and the hubs.

I came across this recipe for breakfast quesadillas on Pinterest- they looked colorful and delicious, and the fact that I had all the ingredients on hand completely won me over.

Sometimes, Monday's call for a beachside ending- one complete with your babes, burritos + an ice cold beer. 

Our local beach is a real beauty- particularly on these gorgeous spring nights when it's not too hot and not yet filled with the summertime crowd. We are lucky enough to live moments away, allowing us to swing by for a quick bite before sunsets.

These sweet moments with my family are ones that I live for, and can make any case of the Mondays drift far, far away.

This past weekend was pretty perfect- the sun was shining, we spent some much needed time outdoors, and Maddie Mae + I got to watch Dad coach his very favorite sport. We also enjoyed our first good old fashion bbq of the year- complete with delish margaritas, family + friends.

It's weekends like these that make me stop to count our lucky stars, and feel humbled by how blessed I really am. 

Here are five things I'm currently {extra} grateful for:

Friday already?! This week's been a fast one- starting off cold and snowy and ending happily sunny + spring-like.

The past few days have been filled with a few fun excursions, afternoon walks + shipping off lots of pretty packages filled with lyrical baby onesies.

In the midst of it all, my Maddie Mae turned ten months old- blowing my mind when I finally made the realization. My little babe is no longer such a baby- she stands + babbles + is so close to walking; but she'll forever be my little girl. It goes way too fast; and as exhausting as it sometimes is, these 10 months with her have been the best of my life. And I can't wait to explore another season outdoors with her this spring.

If April showers bring May flowers, then we are in for a treat.

Spring has been a bit shy the past few days- giving us glimpses of its glory, then sneaking away to hide behind the clouds {and snow}.

Thankfully, forecasts call for brighter and warmer days in the near future, getting me super excited to explore another season with my loves. As those sunnier days approach, I've been thinking about my spring favorites.