It’s hard to believe how quickly time passes. My baby is turning into a little girl who understands me, talks to me, and listens to me. My baby is turning into my best friend who I share everything with on a different level. She has taught me that the world is our playground and to see beauty in everyday life. When I look into her eyes and see me looking back, I know that my life will never feel empty. I love her more than all of my greatest accomplishments combined.
To all other parents out there, we are blessed. Enjoy!
What’s your favorite family moment this year?
Bucket List Publications 
Cute. Our next door neighbor had a baby girl last June. Cute cute cute. The other day she was looking at me and smiled. I said if the first thing she learns is to smile she is off to a good start.
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Kids have a way of seeing the beauty in everything. It lightens my heart 🙂
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Yes they do. And forgive so quickly.
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Oh Lesley isn’t it just the most amazing thing ever! Being a parent is heartbreakingly beautiful. We are truly blessed.
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Yes… with one, but I don’t know how you manage three 😉
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One of my best family memories this year was just the other day. After two complete knee replacements over the span on one year, I accompanied my 75 year old mother on a nature walk. It was so amazing to me to see her finally free of arthritic pain and to be mobile. Watching her take pictures and enjoying herself along the way was priceless to me. 🙂
We are blessed to be parents and we are blessed to have them.
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Beautiful! You just brought tears to my eyes. My grandfather had a knee replacement too and it has changed his life. He also had heart surgery this year and he’s like a young man again. I’m over-overwhelmingly joyful every time I speak to him. I have my grandfather back again. It is amazing!
Enjoy the time with your family. I like you more and more every time we “chat”. Please stay in touch. 🙂
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Aww thanks…that means a lot. I have followed your blog for quite awhile now and have always admired your love of life, travel and adventure.
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Do you have a Facebook or Twitter account too? I’d love to follow along.
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Leslie, I just sent you a Facebook friend request (Michelle).
🙂 I don’t do twitter.
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Lesley-a beautiful photo! Last week we took our ‘kids’ out for dinner to celebrate their 29th and 26th birthdays. With their spouses the six of us laughed and shared stories. At one point I sat back and looked at the happy group and said ” When you were little I dreamed of such a moment as this…that as adults you would be happy, healthy …and wanting to hang out with your parents” 🙂 A dream come true 🙂 Keep sharing the adventures Lesley. Love your blog.
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Thank you and thank you for what is hopefully a glimpse into my future. I think we all want that – to see our kids happy and healthy 🙂 I bet you’re a wonderful parent. Congratulations!
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Thanks Lesley for your kind words. Parenting is the hardest and most rewarding work of my life. Thanks so much for following my blog. I am delighted to have you along on my journey and I look forward to hearing more about yours! 🙂
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Aw so cute!!
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She is so Adorable 🙂 .. Playing Monopoly with my family is always fun 🙂 ..
Enjoy these special moments 🙂 ..
God bless you all 🙂
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We’re not at that family game stage yet but I look forward to it. Do you have a game night or just whenever you can?
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I completely agree with you. My daughter is my whole world. She just turned two last month and not only decided to enlighten me with counting to twenty she knows her ABC’s and all the songs on nick jr. haha. It’s such a blessing to watch her learn and grow every day. My favorite family moment is hard to decide. I love every moment. Recently though, I have made amends with my husband and we are working through our problems. Thanks to God, I have found forgiveness and strength and patience I didn’t know I possesed. =)
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That level of forgiveness, strength, and patience is heightened as a mother, isn’t it? I’ve learned just as much from Athena as she has learned from me. We are growing together.
Good luck with your family; I wish you all the happiness in the world 🙂
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Thank you. And it is greatly heightened ever since I became a mother. Well said
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What a sweetheart! Yes, you are blessed 🙂 Take care of each other.
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cute kid but she stole my blouse.. I want it back 😛
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That was beautiful!
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You bring back so many wonderful memories for me! My girl was my first child, and I know so well that feeling of falling head over heels in love with your little one. My three are all grown up now, but the love hasn’t dimmed a bit. Enjoy every moment; cherish the little things! She is absolutely beautiful!
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Thank you and congratulations for raising three children. As challenging as it is, the rewards are tenfold. 🙂
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I agreed with you! Now, my son is in middle school now. Be sure to enjoy every minutes of it!
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I don’t know how it happens. One minute she was a newborn in my arms and then the next minute she was running along the beach saying, “swim in the ocean.” I’m still in shock. 🙂
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Lesley your baby is so adorable! Thank you for sharing pics with us! It’s fun to watch her grow so fast! I feel my age when I see my best friends kids having kids of their own! Have a wonderful day. Hugz Lisa and Bear
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It happens to us all. I find it hard to believe that I have a child when I still feel like a kid myself. I don’t know where the time goes.
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What a beautiful baby! Enjoy your journey.
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She’s adorable.
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I have so enjoyed reading your blog and watching your darling girl grow. Treasure and enjoy every moment with your presious little girl.
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Clearly we were in similar states of mind this week. My post is an open letter to my almost grown kids…different perspective, but same road. Nice job, Lesley.
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I love your post and your lessons.
I was wondering about Fiji…. Let me know where things are with that please. I can give you another contact if need be.
I hope all is well 🙂
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I just reached them yesterday, finally! We agreed on new terms and we plan to go a year from now. SO excited! The kids will all be gone and we can just go and relax.
I really enjoyed your post too. Wait until Athena tells you “no more photos, Mom.” It all gets a little more challenging. 😉
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Wonderful to hear! I can’t wait to explore Fiji again… from your perspective. 🙂
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Can’t wait!
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Yes truly Blessed. Blessings, Mtetar
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Watching my daughter dance, my daughter was a snowflake in the ballet version of Mulan.
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Your baby girl isn’t quite a baby anymore. She’s so DARN cute and growing so fast.
I only had one child, my daughter, and thought I could never love anymore more. Now my granddaughters have stolen my heart. They are six and almost ten but fill me with wonder and adoration (yes I mean adoration–I can’t help myself) as they develop and grow.
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I hear that being a grandparent is equally as rewarding; hopefully I will experience that in my life as well. I will consider myself blessed. 🙂
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You are blessed, Lesley. 😉
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My favorite family moment happened just a few days when my first son was born. I have two girls and a boy now :].
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Congratulations! What an amazing experience to have both girls and a boy. You will know both sides of development. Beautiful!
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My son saying “I love you” for the first time. It was the best present a mother could get.
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When Athena kisses me; my entire heart melts. She could get away with murder 😉 I can’t wait until she can say, “I love you.” I think I’ll cry with joy for the first 1000 times. 🙂
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Not to brag, but after several months of speech therapy and that was my 4th of July gift. Yes our children mean the world to us. 🙂
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Been following you for sometime. Just want to say this is a beautiful post, and I wish the three of you a wonderful life together. Your little girl is angelic, but with lots of mischief in her lovely blue eyes 🙂 I often wish my kids could’ve remained two years old forever…
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She is so pretty and cute that it’s going to be the death of me 😉 How could I be frustrated with those bright, big blues looking up at me 🙂
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Lovely post and photo. Our daughter is 24 and having graduated from college (debt free, fortunately!) is in San Francisco (our favorite city) pursuing her dreams and passions. We talk on the phone frequently and get together each summer to sail and fish and eat great food and catch up. Two is a fun age… but it gets better and better!
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What a lovely picture to think about for my future with Athena. Thank you 🙂
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I am again experiencing with the grandkids that thrill of progressing from humouring and amusing a child to communicating on a meaningful level with another loved and admired human being.
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Athena is beautiful! And wow, isn’t she growing fast? It doesn’t seem long since I read your blog post announcing her arrival to the world.
I’m not a parent but my family have had some lovely moments together this year. I nearly lost my mother last year; she was seriously ill and had a liver transplant just before Christmas. This year I have made sure that I count my blessings and enjoy the time I spend with her. After seeing her so thin, ill and weak, it is amazing to see her regain strength.
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Thank you! I have no idea where the time went but I’m loving every minute I have with her.
I had a similar situation with my grandfather and heart surgery. I remind myself daily of how blessed I am to have such wonderful, loving people in my life and I cherish every moment I have with them.
I hope you have many years of happy memories to come with your mother. Congratulations on maintaining a loving relationship with her. 🙂
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So we have a family bedroom. Bunk beds, a queen. And I often say to my kids “I love you with my whole heart and soul” — especially at night. One night, we laid there in darkness for three full minutes before my 10-yo spoke into the darkness: “Mom? I love you with my whole heart and soul/” I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Thank you for asking me and prompting me to remember. And thank you for sharing Atena with us. she is stunning, joyful, inspirational! x angela
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You are such a wonderful person, Angela. I glad you have such beautiful memories 🙂
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OMG, you made me cry! They do grow up too fast. I look back on the years when my daughters were growing and I wish I could go back and slow down time. Now I’m experiencing it with my grandkids. The oldest is seventeen and will be graduating high school in the spring. Your Athena is beautiful and every milestone a blessing, so don’t blink or you might miss it.
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I hear being a grandparent is equally rewarding. I hope that I will know for myself someday. 🙂
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Time flies to quickly! Next week my middle baby will turn 18! I truly do not know where the time went.
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Adults/parents use to say it to me all the time and I thought they were grossly exaggerating. Now… I find myself wondering and saying the same thing. Funny how life works 🙂
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One of my recent happy moments was when I got a call from my daughters school telling me she won a coloring contest she entered. My husband and I were so thrilled becuase she worked so hard on it but most of all we couldnt wait to give her the news and see her beautiful face light up with joy. I love being her mom.
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You sound like a great mother! She is blessed too 🙂
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Just wait til your a grand parent. It gets even better!
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My favorite moment with my family is when we’re present to each other-whether we’re talking, laughing, whatever. I get to go on a girls’ getaway with my oldest daughter in a couple of weeks. Nothing is more worthwhile than being a mom and heartwarming than when your children want to spend time with you. Enjoy the time you have.
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Cute as a button, that’s what she is :). As my boys are now 17 and 20, my favourite family moments are anytime that all four of us are together because those moments are becoming few and far between.
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Well said! It’s such an amazing journey, my baby girl is nearly 7 months old and every day she teaches me something new about myself or the world. I have been blogging daily since she was born so that I can capture as many special and precious moments as I can. Please feel free to come and check it out http://an-Ayla-a-day.com
Give ur girl a kiss for me x
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For me the most interesting thing is to see how my two children, both brought into the world by the same people, can grow and have such different personalities and styles. My son is analytical and deliberate, always thinking before doing. My daughter is a dare devil, full of life, but very intelligent. She is picking up thinks so fast. They are only 3 1/2 and 1 1/2, but still awe me every day. I expect it will continue to happen for a long, long time.
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Your daughter is just ADORABLE!!! 🙂
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Beautiful! 😀
Love the photo… so sweet! 😀
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Gorgeous! I too have four gorgeous girls but I am at such a different stage in life as my eldest has just emigrated – yes indeed, how time goes by so quickly. Children certainly are a treasure and a blessing – that I am reminded of every day!
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I have a 2 year-old and I feel the exact same way! She is the love of my life and my little buddy!
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You brought tears to my eyes. I have two teenagers and what I have found is that I mourn the stages they are leaving yet celebrate the phase they are entering. It is an amazing adventure and I never knew I could love so deeply!! Have fun with your sweet little one!!!
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kawai chyan! Pretty n cute in Japanese!
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Every day! Just now In Amsterdam, a big storm is getting ready outside, my 3 kids are playing in the bath
Yesterday on our way to Amsterdam our 2 nd daughter 6 years old started saying load country and continent names comparing places languages etc I was amazed and happy our traveling around style was loved by them and that they start learning more and more during every trip, short long far or close by.
Our philosophy continue traveling as much as we can with kids, and in my blog I try to share with all places we enjoy or give a glimpse of the athmosphere
You daughter is lovely
In a sens you show her the example as you also enjoy and play
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Hat dies auf The "Wanted" / Der "Gewollte" 🙂 rebloggt und kommentierte:
SIGH ^_^ How I wish that I could say that yet MYSELF !!! 0:-) ^_^ SIGH SIGH SIGH
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Gorgeous bambina!!! The bluest eyes ever. 🙂
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Welcome to life’s most challenging and rewarding adventure . . . parenthood! — YUR
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and when she is 21 (my daughter’s age) she will come up and give you random hugs because she remembers the love you gave her as she was growing up. 🙂
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Beautifully said!! Couldn’t agree with you more!
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I’ll echo Kingston: Beautifully said! Couldn’t agree with you more.
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She is so lovely, and growing so fast. You are blessed indeed.
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Your post reminded me of the song I used to always sing to my son when he was a little boy “I got you babe!”… lyrics seemed so appropriate for the delight you feel – “I got you to walk with me, I got you to talk with me, I got you to hold my hand, I got you to understand!” So wonderful… challenging sometimes, but joyful too! Enjoy every minute!
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