Just A Couple Things...

I haven't even had my morning coffee but there are a couple things I wanted to say this morning. First of which is to thank you all for being so kind to me and making such nice and complimentary comments on my blog. It's been a stressful few days (weeks, maybe?) so reading your comments brightens my day - even if I do feel quite undeserving most of the time.
Also, don't forget to link on to other blogs. The two on my site are brilliant and for those moms out there if you link on to Barbara and Nathan's and link on to Sarah Green's you can scroll down to read a beautiful letter she wrote to her future adult daughter. Some people are SO good with words!!!

Does A Zebra Ever Really Change It's Stripes?

As I enter in to my 30's (Okay! So I've already "entered") with two children and a husband I sometimes find myself asking that question we're all familiar with: Have I changed?
For anyone who knows me it is no secret that I really, really lived it up in my young adulthood. And I mean really. For me, in many ways I feel like I have had more than one life. There was that party girl who feared nothing and then this mature woman who emerged wanting to have children and grow a family. I have friends who went the other direction in the proverbial fork in the road. These are the people I live that WHAT IF through. Because I am married now and a mother does that mean I have changed or just that I made different choices?
Life has been really, really good to me and I am so grateful for the experiences that I have had so far. But, am I the only person that occasionally wonders what would have happened if I hadn't made the choices that brought me to where I am now? I guess some of you will tell me it is fate, others will say coincidence and free will. I guess I will never know.
Bottom line, I still feel the same, but am I?

Those Moments of ...

still.
If you've ever experienced a moment in time where everything just seems eerily still, then you know how I felt yesterday after hearing news of the collapsed bridge. This bridge that Bill used to drive home from work on every single day. This bridge that I drive on with regularity. I wish I could understand why these things have to happen.
The good news is that there are loads of people who actually survived this tragedy and are here to share their story. The devastation of the lives lost is almost too much to bear.
There was a school bus on that bridge. They all survived. Think how tight their mothers held them when they came home.
Give your loved ones that extra little squeeze and thank God for another day. As I've said before, that's all we really ever get.
Thank God for all of you who are safe and well and who I love whole heartedly.

How Is It August Already?!?

Here we've got Cecelia in her 80's get-up and Delaney playing with the bucket. We've got the girls at Como Zoo. You can see how tentative Delaney is about getting on the merry-go-round. There are a couple "before" shots, but as you can see she enjoyed it once we were on. There's a random shot of Cece in the pool and then a couple pics of the animals - including a choice shot of the gorilla's butt. Lastly, some pics of Marilyn's kids Amie and Jon (w/ Kacie) entertaining the girls at the cabin. And, of course, CeCe and Harry picnicing in the porch after playing out back.

Enjoy!!

Summer Luvin'......Thus Far

Wow, where to begin?!? Bill and I took some time off of work to enjoy the week of the 4th. It's a tradition we started last year and will try to do annually from now on. "Vacationing" at home, we have found, is a fabulous idea and highly recommended to you all.

Thursday was my first day off so the girls and I met up with Ronnie and Hayden at the Children's Museum (a little FYI, all the local libraries are giving out - first come, first serve- FREE passes to ALL the local zoos, museums, art centers and historic landmarks). We made good use of the passes and the kids had a blast - as you can see.

We left on Saturday for the lakes where we met up with our friends, family and a billion kids. What once used to be a place to party and get a tan is now where we run ourselves ragged chasing our children. Baby Lucy is the exception to that rule until next summer - she is the newborn with the rediculously cute hair sleeping in the floatie. We did manage to have fun, of course. I even got up on skiis at Jill's cabin. However, I paid the price for days with sore muscles.

We returned home and enjoyed the hot July air out back. We had a few rainy days which proved to be a nice relief from the sun.

Waking up this morning and going back to "real life" was not fun but we are definitely looking forward to the rest of the summer.

Play on.....

Random Thoughts

I was talking to a friend a while back about all this blogging and where we get our "inspiration." The fact is you can't just sit down at the computer and expect to be brilliant or clever. For me, these random thoughts come at night. Every single night of my life I lay in bed before falling asleep and think about my day, my life, my world. This blog is actually really nice for me because now I have an outlet for all these random thoughts.
My thoughts last night were of, what else, my kids. It's only been 3 1/2 years of this motherhood business for me so it is still, quite evidentally, a new adventure and learning experience. Anyway, this is what I have to share today:
As a new baby arrives (especially for a first time mom) we start in with our instincts and philosophies about how to deal with this little pink thing. The major focus for the first couple of years is sleep, eating, bathroom needs and training. We read books, talk to other moms and fumble our way through. What has suprised me recently is how all of a sudden you look at your child and he/she is sleeping in their big bed, going to the bathroom alone, helping themself to a snack or getting some water from the fridge. They are getting in to the car and in to their carseat without help, entertaining their younger sibling and putting their own clothes on. What I'm getting at is all that hard work that gets put in to raising a small child really pays off. Teaching babies to fall asleep on their own, use a cup or spoon and use a potty is the hardest work on earth. What's harder is watching them "get it" and become independent from you. I guess all the stuff parenthood is made of it bittersweet in the end. It's so good to see you've actually done a good job, but then all you want to do is go back and swaddle them in a blankie.

Fun, Fun, Fun, look who's ONE!

My baby girl turned one on June 1st - isn't she adorable?? I didn't realize until just now that this was her golden birthday. Perhaps I should have commemorated it better. I guess I have a year to think about it. We threw little Miss Delaney a party on Sunday. She looked the part in her little Birthday Girl t-shirt and skirt. She was such a good girl at her party. Her most memorable moments were: Being loved and adored by her family and friends, playing with the tissue paper and trying to eat some of it, and eating her very first piece of birthday cake. Her big sister was also very good and a huge help during the fiesta. Our pool party theme was cute but the weather did not cooperate with us on the actual pool party. There's always next year!

This year has flown by so fast that I still can't believe it's gone. Chasing around a toddler/preschooler made for a different experience with Delaney's first year vs. Cecelia's. I guess I've learned that with subsequent children you have to make a point to soak in those little milestones because before you know it they're moving on to something new and amazing. Delaney is on the cusp of walking now, which is really exciting, and getting one tooth after another. I've cut out the day time bottles and have her down to one in the morning and one at night. I will cut those out in the next two weeks as well. She can eat big girl food and drink from a cup all by herself. She babbles and tells stories and makes herself laugh. If only I could speak her language. I could go on and on about how sweet she is. I feel so blessed to have her and Cecelia in my life. I love birthdays but I love every day too because, in reality, that's really all we get - one day at a time. I'm sad to think that my baby isn't really a baby anymore but I am excited and anxious for all the new things we get to experience together.

Happy Birthday Laney Lanes.