bring on the smiles

Yesterday I was pleasantly surprised to find out that my lovely, long-time friend, Colleen, had given me a very special gift.



The Rules:
1. The recipient must link back the the award's creator (http://www.thebabblingsofmere.blogspot.com/)
2. You must post these rules if you recieve the award.
3. You must choose 5 people to recieve the award after recieving it yourself
4. You must fit the characteristics of the recipient of the award, as posted by Mere.
5. You must post the characteristics of a recipient.
6. You must create a post sharing your win with others.
7. You must thank your giver.

Characteristics for the Smile Award:
1. Must display a cheerful attitude. (not necessarily at all times--we are all human)
2. Must love one another
3. Must make mistakes
4. Must learn from others
5. Must be a positive contributor to blog world
6. Must love life
7. Must love kids

I definitely have #3 and #7 covered. It was just the kind of pick-me-up I needed yesterday to know that someone else sees all of the other characteristics in me. Colleen is such a kind person, always doing something for others. If you have a minute to take a look at her blog you will see how much time and energy she puts into making her house a happy home for her husband and her three gorgeous kids. I wish she wasn't all the way up in Maine, but I keep trying to convince her that a trip to DC would be a fun way to spend their vacation. Maybe one of these years!

I'm going to break one of the rules and pick only three people for this award today. Some of the others that I would have chosen don't have their own blogs - imagine!

1. Julie at Rarely Home Mom is an amazing person. She has such an enormously good heart. We share a love of reading, cooking, and having fun with our kids. Although I've never met her in person I've known her online for probably close to 5 years. I consider her a kindred spirit, and am lucky to "know" her.

2. Paige at My Home is My Heart fills her blog with a delightful combination of humor, fun, and adorable pictures of her kids. She is an amazing woman and mother, and I really enjoy getting to read these snippets of her life every day.

3. I know my friend Leah doesn't typically participate in these sorts of things, but it just wouldn't be right to leave her out. First of all, her kids are so freaking adorable that I love being around them. Not to mention that mine have a blast when we play together. Leah is someone I haven't known for very long, but it seems like that doesn't matter at all when we're together. She's one of the few people that I can talk to about absolutely everything, and when we go out for our "ladies night" dinners we talk and talk and talk until the waitstaff is ready to throw us out of the restaurant. And then we leave with things still unsaid. She is a true friend, and a wonderful mom, so I had to include her on this list.

Thank you ladies for being a part of my life - even if most of the time it's only via the computer screen. I really enjoy the glimpses into your lives that you post on your blogs.