We are the makers of memories.

Somewhere in the future Henry will be grown up and think back to being little. So many of these days seem so ordinary- sitting on the floor playing, grocery shopping, park dates and long walks. But somehow they all weave into this tapestry that stretches on for years and lasts forever; something he will look back on, something that will color so many parts of his future- his childhood.

So I try to make these everydays count. To parent and live deliberately. To be present, and to make ordinary things extraordinary, the regular somehow special. And when it comes to the holidays, I try and make new traditions for our family and create warm memories that Hank and Henry can carry with them as time goes on. Sometimes it's the little things- like the other night when we were all crying from laughing so hard, and every time one of us would crack a smile it would throw all of us into a terrible fit of giggles once again. Or tonight, when it was just Henry and me cuddled up on the couch watching old Christmas movies and eating sweets. He looked up at me and said two words so simply- "I'm happy." These are those days that become so much more.

And it's the big moments too- picking out Halloween costumes, our annual birthday morning surprises, putting up our Christmas tree every year. And it's those special times like our evening at the Polar Express last weekend- Henry's very first train ride. Nothing will ever compare to the moment when he looked at both Hank and I and said, "I RIDE THOMAS!" with the biggest grin spreading across his face.

In a way Hank and I are getting to relive our childhood all over again; we're able to revisit our own memories, dip into the nostalgia we both feel for times gone, and make them fresh again with our son. Isn't that one of the best parts of parenting? To be able to make a choice that you'll do things differently this time around, or in lucky cases, do things in exactly the same ways you experienced as a child.

It's amazing to think of our children's memories as blank canvases. We are the creators. We make these days count. We have a lot of roles as parents, but the maker of memories is one to be taken so seriously, and I hope one day Henry can look back and feel warm, and happy, and know he was so very loved.

Currently.

Watching: Allllll the holiday classics I force myself not to watch until the holiday rolls around. Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year, but especially special as far as music and movies. Some of my all-time most-loved films: the original Miracle on 34th Street, the very, very old Babes in Toyland (thanks to my Mom having us watch this every year when we were little), the old Frosty and Rudolph, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Home Alone, and the Grinch cartoon. Hank and I watched Home Alone on Sunday morning and I was in bliss- such a great holiday movie. Am I forgetting any old favorites? What do you watch every year?

Listening to: I've been on a Gaslight Anthem kick lately. They're always my favorite band, but recently Henry has been asking to listen to them too. He says, "Rock 'n roll, Mommy?" And until I put on Gaslight he'll say "no, not this one," until I find the right band/song. Quite a taste for music, I tell you! I think his favorite album is Sink or Swim and he always seems to bop along a little more to We Came to Dance, which just so happens to be my favorite song too. Haha. Other than that I'm still listening to the Cloud Atlas soundtrack and while doing cardio my favorite song has been the wildly inappropriate No Lie by 2Chainz and Drake.

Planning: So much- little Lucy is set to arrive next month and we are getting so excited! I can't wait for Henry to have a little cousin to play with, and for our family to have another baby. I'm also so happy that Lauren is also going to be staying home with her, so we will have so much more time to get together. Even though we live three hours apart it will be a lot easier for her to drive up and spend the night for a few nights and vice versa. Other things we're planning- Disneyland, the annual girls' Christmas party, and I've been working on an overall goal to focus on in 2013. Hank and I have been into choosing "themes" for our year (how nerdy is that?) and last year we were successful in achieving those- especially Hank!

Thinking about: one of my favorite blogs shared this quote yesterday: "I looked on child rearing not only as a work of love and duty but as a profession that was fully as interesting and challenging as any honorable profession in the world and one that demanded the best that I could bring to it." -Rose Kennedy. Isn't that beautiful? No matter if you stay at home with your children or work outside the home, once you're a parent being a mother is your number one job, and I think it's a such a beautiful sentiment and one that completely resonates with me. I also really loved this post on being who you really are and it really made me think. The older I get the more I crave authenticity and the more I just want to be ME. It's a good feeling to know I am working on that everyday, and to have a much deeper understanding of what exactly "me" means. It's a lifelong process to really know yourself, but each day I get a little closer. A quote from that article- "Every time we make small decisions to fit in, whether as a child or as an adult, we are burying a little part of ourselves down deep. This is really serious business, this denying of who we are." Embrace your weird!

Reading: I am just starting a couple of books- The Parent's Tao Te Ching and Reached. I began the first book last night and found it to be incredibly inspiring. I think it's a really great approach to parenting, and although I don't subscribe to any sort of philosophy you can find in a parenting book, I definitely enjoy grabbing pieces of knowledge and experience. The last parenting book I read was Bringing Up Bebe and I enjoyed that for the same reasons- I didn't take the whole thing as a "how-to" but more as a way to broaden my horizons and open my mind a bit. Plus, that entire thing was pretty fascinating! Have you read it? The second book on my list, Reached, is the third book in the Matched trilogy by Allie Condie and I am highly anticipating digging into it tonight after Henry goes to bed. I loved the first two, so I'm hoping the final piece is just as great.

Making me happy: Christmas everywhere, our little town and all of its holiday traditions, Ezekial cinnamon raisin toast with butter, Henry sort of, kind of starting to branch out and try more food, CrossFit and doing more and more of my workouts Rx, learning how to do new things, and adding new recipes to our everyday favorites. And on that note, do you guys have any food blogs with healthy, whole food recipes you'd recommend? 

So, how about you? What are you up to today? Feel free to do your own "currently" post on your blog and link back in the comments for everyone to check out. And thanks again to my dear friend Megan for providing the original inspiration for these posts.