hey little cowboy, i would lasso the moon for you

Lasso the Moon Written for By Billy Simon and Lowell Alexander (for Art Garfunkle)

If I were a carpenter


I'd build a world of love


Where we would always be together

If I were the captain

Of
 a ship of happiness


I'd sail away with you forever

Close your eyes


And know you are safe with me

If I had a lariat


Made of dreams come true


I would lasso the moon for you

If I were a rocketeer


I'd scale the universe


To bring your heart a star each 
morning

If I were an angel 

In 
Heaven's Holy host


I'd sing to you a verse of glory

Close your eyes


And know you are safe with me

If I had a lariat


Made of dreams come true


I would lasso the moon for you.

Art Garfunkle | Songs From A Parent To A Child Album |
 1997 | Sony Wonder Entertainment

love,

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Are you pregnant? Link up with the Bloggin' Babes and Babies of 2011.

Share your creativity and Easter inspiration by submitting your Easter card to our Easter card linky (closing April 21).

Linking in with Faith... for "Two".

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2011
do not reproduce without written permission

do you come here often?

If you're new here, welcome.

My name is Adriel. I'm a thirty-something music-loving, beach-going, family-advocating, mom-supporting, travel-adventuring, mountain girl (and city-lover) from Oregon who just happens to live in hot, humid tropical Australia with a hunky, spunky Aussie bloke - my husband Ryan.

yes, we were on vacation. nice huh? and no, we haven't had tans like that since,
which is why i chose to use this photo. we look vacationed and i like that.

He does manly things like mowing the lawn, fixing stuff, flexing his muscles, watching football (and basketball and cricket and...), building things in his man cave, fishing, cooking me breakfast, washing the dishes, changing pooey diapers, watching NCIS, and giving himself foot soaks and face masks.

I do girly things like blogging and writing, shopping (and deal-hunting), decorating, planning, toddler-chasing, reading, current events and politics-following, photo-taking, baby-growing, breastfeeding, teaching, yoga-stretching, DYI-ing, accessorizing, endless laundry folding (not by choice, just by necessity), and HGTV and Modern Family-watching.

And dreaming about sleeping in. Can't forget that. I'm always dreaming about sleeping in... and taking naps.

So yeah, that's us - the Bookers: a young-at-heart, cross-cultural, family-first, faith-filled, volunteering, slightly "special" couple who can't believe we found one another.

And apparently the America-Australia combination is a good one because we came out with one of the most gorgeous children you will ever lay eyes on. His name is Levi and he is 14 months old.

careful, he's a heart-stealer.

He does things like guitar playing (he's slightly obsessed), reading storybooks, banging things, walking around the house with a mini hockey stick and my new belt, wrestling with daddy, plowing into and over things, holding my eye-lash curler and pretending he knows how to use it, grunting, giggling, asking for crackers, playing with (and in) anything involving water, and stick-collecting.

He is seriously cute and adorable and hilarious. (Kinda like your kid I bet.)

In fact, he turned out so well that we decided to give him some competition, due to arrive in about six months:

And the Memos?

I write about all things mom-ish.

Sometimes my writing gets a little gritty and sarcastic and feels a bit like this:

Other times it's mushy, sentimental, and reflective and feels more like this:

And still other times it feels a little more "tipsy" and instructional and feels something like this:

And then there's the times that it's a tad less wordy and looks kinda like this:

If you'd like to read some of my best, click over to my besties page or check out the "most clicked" post list on my sidebar. 


I blog to connect, remember, process, encourage, entertain, inform, inspire, equip, challenge, record, relax, have fun, question, provoke, support... and to help me think beyond myself, tap into my creativity, and network with other women - primarily moms and mamas-in-the-making.


Thanks so much for stopping by. Please be sure to introduce yourself!

looking forward to connecting,


p.s. Dear regulars, if you haven't already linked up, consider checking out the Ultimate Blog Party 2011!

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2011
do not reproduce without written permission

in love

I am in love.

In love with this boy.

His smile. Those perfect lips. His long, straight lashes. That vanilla skin. The sparkle in his deep, dark eyes. His sweet giggle. His funny hair-styles that are birthed from days spent sweating in the tropics. The chubby little fingers that can often be found intertwined in miniature guitar strings these days.

I love that he loves music and comes alive when he's given a guitar or a drum or a little piano. I love that he can't hear music over the radio or on the stereo or on television without stopping whatever he's doing and dancing... or just waving his little hand in the air as he gets his groove on.

I love that when he's dancing--or jamming--he glances at me with a glimmer in his eye to make sure that I'm watching, approving, admiring.

I love that he is not only my boy but he is the son of my husband - my beloved, the man of my dreams, my Gift From Heaven.

I love that he is a part of me, that he is from me, that he represents the best of me.

I love that he is a part of us, that he is from us, that he represents the best of us.

I love that God trusts us enough, believes in us enough, to let us care for and shape such a precious being.

I love that he's taught me how to be a mom.

I love that he's teaching me how to love more, believe in myself more, and enjoy the small things in life more.

I love that he's paved the way for our Newest Joy to enter the world and grow my belly--and our hearts--even more than we've already known.

I love that his guitar was a gift from my parents and that he sits in his "big boy chair" - a gift from Ryan's parents. Four more of the extra special people in my life.

Yes, I love this photo--and all that it contains--for so many reasons.

In love, I am.

Dear friends, there is so much to love... I've only skimmed the surface here with this photo and its description. What are you in love with at the moment?

in love,

Linking up with the lovely Jhen:

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2011
do not reproduce without written permission

a party for one

It was a good, good day... as evidenced by the amount of chocolate involved.

A chance to celebrate the life of our precious son... our treasure, our joy, our sweet, sweet boy.

We started off the day with fireworks--well, sort of--and opening pretty packages with Gigi and Gramps over skype and Nanny and Bop in person. How wonderful it was to have all of Levi's grandparents present for... the presents.

And then of course was the party. There were lots of banners... big, floating balloons... party pies and sausage rolls (classic Aussie kids party food)... adorable and animated munchkins under three feet tall... many wonderful friends... brightly wrapped gifts... party hats... and of course cupcakes... many cupcakes. (We are still eating cupcakes.)

There was a make-shift photo booth... for laughs and memories and future blackmail material.

There were squeals of delight... and well-wishes... three generations... and free play... live music performances by the little ones... and "helpers" for Levi when he opened his gifts.

And of course there was chocolate... the first timid tastes of sugar which built to kneading and mashing and stuffing of the face... moments of hilarity... and lots, and lots, and lots of mess.

Oh sweet, sweet chocolate... all over our sweet, sweet boy...

There were impromptu fake beards... and very dirty clothes... and kids sent straight to the tub.

And after our little birthday boy was tucked up into bed... there was more celebration: toasting, laughing, and reminiscing. There were sincere prayers of thanksgiving and a few little tears of joy and gratitude.

It was a good, good day.

It was a great day.

And, although we most likely will not put such time and energy into parties to come, to mark this first year with a bang felt right and appropriate. Levi's life (and our parenthood) seemed worthy of our best effort. We thank the good Lord for the miracle of life and for the ability and means to celebrate well.

Dear friends, near and far, thank you for making our occasion so special.

enjoying the afterglow,


P.S. Just so you know, I did the party for quite cheap... lots of construction paper, ribbon, my laptop, a printer, some felt, a few sticks, brads, magnets, and wooden clothespins, a visit to the dress-up box that lives under my bed... and of course my trusty little glue gun. The most "expensive" thing was getting a few helium balloons. I'm convinced that making something feel extravagant does not have to cost a fortune... but rather some planning and some creativity!! Oh, and I made Levi's cake from a box, set it on a plastic plate that I found in my cupboard, and stuck a couple of handmade pinwheels on there with a candle - simple and cheap and cute! Betty Crocker, I am not my friends. :)

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2011 
do not reproduce without written permission

366 days ago i spent the last night alone with my baby

A year ago today I was on the eve of my due date. My parents had flown in from overseas. My best mate was here, armed with the camera and snacks and lots of encouragement. And my husband and I were packed and ready to go.

It was a hot and humid day with sporadic rain showers. Emma and I swam and walked back and forth across the length of the near-by pool while my parents looked on from underneath the shelter and Ryan worked nervously at the office, waiting for a call at any time.

Baby was engaged.

Mama was feeling brave, excited, and at peace.

We were ready to go.

That night I went to bed with excitement, thinking (perhaps hoping) that I'd go into labor that night.

Then, around 2:00am--just hours after Levi's official due date began--my waters broke and the contractions started hard and strong.

I was going to have a baby. My life was about to be turned upside-down.

It wasn't until twelve hours later that I went to the birthing centre. By that time my contractions were consistently three minutes apart and we decided it was time to be in the care of our dear midwife.

Soon after arriving I had an internal examination (well, several of them actually), and then four or five different ultrasounds), only to find out that Levi was breech.

It was against hospital policy to birth breech babies in the birthing centre so I was transferred to the maternity ward and robed up for an unplanned c-section.

Although it wasn't the natural water birth I had desired, I was glad that I was already in labor and things were progressing smoothly. Baby wasn't in distress and neither was I. My body went into labor naturally, so I knew we were both ready. And my contractions were hard and strong and fast... but not so fast that they had to rush me through with urgency.

I can't say that lying in an operating surgery and having someone cut you open to deliver your baby is ideal. I felt passive. I felt a little bit ripped off. I felt an element of sadness.

But mostly I felt relieved. And I felt glad.

I was so fortunate to have my child in a nation where the health care is amazing. Where doctors and nurses and my midwife took incredible care of me. The fact that my child was able to be delivered safely by cesarean was a great comfort, even despite the whirlwind of emotions.

I also felt excitement. I knew that in moments I would be meeting my beautiful boy for the first time.

If I could turn back the clock I would have requested a late term ultra-sound. I'll never know if we would have been able to turn the baby if we'd caught it in time.

If I could turn back time to 5:46pm on Friday, January 26, 2010 I would have insisted that I got to hold Levi straight away while still on the operating table... rather than an hour and fifteen minutes later after they had sewn me up and done God-knows-what-else in the meantime.

But I can't. And I've made peace with that.

Because when you are at peace, you are free to be grateful.

And grateful I am.

I refuse to let these things define the most life-changing moment of my existence. And I am grateful--beyond grateful--that I could even give birth at all.

I still cry when I hear stories of other mothers having their babies placed on their chest moments after that last push. I cry for what I wasn't able to experience. I cry for my lost hour and fifteen minutes.

And yet my tears are small compared to the tears of so many mothers... and so many would-be, wanna-be mothers. So many mothers that didn't even get an hour and fifteen minutes with their babies.

I was warned that a child's first birthday is an emotional time for moms... And here I am, the day before Levi's birthday and I'm an absolute hurricane of emotions. I believe it's possible to be warned and caught off guard at the same time.

So what do I do? I finalize party plans. I wrap presents. I bake cupcakes. I imagine photos I want to capture on Levi's big day. I think about how my husband and I want to celebrate our own milestone along with Levi's. I pray. I give thanks. I write a lovesong for my boy. I look back through hundreds of photos and video clips and bawl my eyes out. Not because my baby is growing--I'm glad he's growing and developing and progressing--but because life is short and I'm thinking I want to squeeze it a little bit more.

I've tried to relish, enjoy, savor, record, and live in the moment as much as I was able this last year. I wish I had done that more. There will always be more. But I also realize that I did my best. I gave it my all. I could not have done better.

In twenty-four hours time I will commemorate that moment... the moment I shared my first-born with the world:

5:46pm, Friday, January 29, 2010.

just arrived at the birthing centre after 12 hours of labor at home...
receiving the news that levi is breech.

this is me with my brave face while being prepared for the operating theatre.
although i was a little teary and disappointed, i was genuinely at peace... and very excited.

{first look}
he was the most beautiful thing i had ever beheld.

{first touch}
my heart still aches a little looking at this photo.
if a hand could convey longing, love...
i'm grateful at least, that ryan got to hold him straight away.

{first hold}
at last he was mine. my heart exploded a thousand times as he nursed and nuzzled. it was magic.

{first hold}
beaming with pride and joy as i looked at my husband
and midwife with levi snuggled up to my chest.

being wheeled into the maternity ward to introduce levi to my parents and emma.

emma, my mom, and my dad were all there from the beginning until the end....
they were so happy to welcome our miracle when we finally came out from surgery.
although plans changed, we couldn't have shared this time with anyone more special.

my precious angel just hours old. the most beautiful and perfect newborn i've ever seen.

although i was dog tired, i didn't want to go to bed that night. i didn't want it to end.

our extremely happy family - healthy and head-over-heels in love.

room 50. our room 50. i'm so glad for this place.

Dear friends, I didn't really mean for this to turn into a birth story, but I suppose in a sense it's turned into a version of one... minus the detail. Writing about it again now, a year later, is comforting... almost therapeutic. I have so much to remember, so much to celebrate. I knew I'd be a mushy mess this week, but I'm surprised at how I'm enjoying the mush. It's all part of the process, isn't it? It's all part of the process of growing, moving on, moving forward...

turning the page,


P.S. Thank you if you read my post yesterday and prayed for Levi to get well. He's doing sooo much better today and we should be in the clear for his party tomorrow!! *bigsighofrelief*

on saturday...

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2010 
do not reproduce without written permission

twelve months

Since Levi's three favorite things right now are his books, his guitar, and walking... I thought it only fitting to mark twelve months accordingly. Although these are not the best photos from a technical perspective I do love them anyway. They show how much fun he is and how cute he is at the moment.

Ah, twelve months...

{he takes story-book reading very seriously these days.}

{this was more of a run than a walk... yikes!}

{i'm swooning over this one.}

{so. much. fun.}

{"are you watching me mama? are you listening?"}

{doing a little jig while playing a tune. love!}

{i adore those chubby feet.}

My how times have changed...

{nine months - all about the standing and cruising.
his personality really began to come out around this age.}

{six months - all about the sitting, "sorting", and examining.
it was nearly impossible to rip his focus away from his toys
and get him to look at me for a photo at this age.}

{three months - all about the pushing up and learning to roll over.
i remember thinking he looked like such a big boy when i took this...
but not so much when i look at it now. just a wee little babe.}

Oh, and a bonus word of advice for other first-time-moms out there: There are certain books you shouldn't read during the lead-up to your firstborn's first birthday... I'll Love You Forever or Oh, the Places You'll Go! or The Giving Tree or The Runaway Bunny. It's all just a little much.

My boy will be one in two days.  T w o  D a y s.

Dear friends, just a photo dump on the memos today. I know you don't mind a dose of cuteness every now and then. And to my mama-photographer mates, a question: How do you keep a very busy little toddler in focus?! I'm having the darndest time taking decent photos lately, *sigh* and it's beyond frustrating!

help?


P.S. If you're the praying type, please pray for my little man. He's been fighting a cold/cough/fever all week and today it really took a turn for the worst... I held him for hours this afternoon as he just cried and cried and went in and out of short bursts of sleep. He's miserable and really needs healing... Not sure if it's teething related (same thing did happen the last two times he cut new teeth) or if it's just a flu. In any case, it's nasty!! Of course we're hoping that we won't have to cancel his birthday party which is happening in two days. Not to mention the fact that we don't want to get his little friends sick either! Oh, and my in-laws arrive tomorrow to stay for a week. Not the best timing for a sick bub! But most of all I want to see him well for his own sake. It's so hard watching your baby suffer. boo. :( Thanks for your prayers! xxo

on saturday...

photo credit: sue stendahl 

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2010 
do not reproduce without written permission