Kindergarten!

*I started writing this post last week, but kept crying and gave up. Now I'm sitting here in my blissfully quiet house with my steaming cup of coffee, and I'm gonna give it one more go :)

My first baby girl started kindergarten on Monday. That was a hard sentence to write. Kindergarten? Really? Wasn't she this little just last week?

That sweet little baby has now turned into this amazing little girl:

Look at her, all grown up. Kinda breaks my heart a little bit. But I'm so, so proud of the sweet girl she is. 

So the first day of kindergarten started out with a bit of drama when Josh mistakenly took my only set of car keys to work with him. I didn't realize the keys were missing until we were on our way out the door. Uh..can you say PANIC? (note to self: locate keys at least 30 minutes prior to departure!) SO....I call Josh, freaking out, he races back home (thank goodness we live close to his office), and we make it to school about 10 minutes late. 

When we walked into the classroom, do you know what my daughter did? She put her backpack in her cubby, turned around, gave me a hug, and said "bye mom". That's it. No crying, no "mommy will you stay" nada. Who is this child, and what has she done with my clingy mama's girl? I made it out of the class without falling apart, but lost it the second my tush hit the car seat. Poor Avery didn't know what to make of any of it! 

I found this poem that pretty much sums up everything I was/am feeling about my baby leaving me for kindergarten. Warning: if you have one that just started, this WILL make you cry (unless I'm just a pregnant, hormonal mess--and if that's the case, don't tell me.)

First Day of School poem

She started school this morning,
And she seemed so very small.
As I walked there beside her
In the Kindergarten hall.

And as she took her place beside
the others in the class,
I realized how all too soon
Those first few years can pass.

Remembering, I saw her as
She first learned how to walk.
The words that we alone made out
When she began to talk.

This little girl so much absorbed
In learning how to write.
It seems as though she must have grown
To girlhood overnight.

My eyes were blurred by hastily
I brushed the tears away
Lest by some word or sign of mine
I mar her first big day.

Oh how I longed to stay with her
And keep her by the hand
To lead her through the places
That she couldn’t understand.

And something closely kin to fear
Was mingled with my pride.
I knew she would no longer be
A baby by my side.

But she must have her chance to live,
To work her problems out,
The privilege to grow and learn
What life is all about.

And I must share my little girl
With friends and work and play;
She’s not a baby anymore –
She’s in Kindergarten today.

9 Years!

How is it possible that Josh and I have been married for 9 years already?! Wasn't it just last week that we were making the drive from San Antonio to Lubbock to start our college adventure? Surely we aren't old enough to have been married this long and to have 2 (almost 3) kids together! I guess it's true what they say--time flies when you're having fun! Let's see if I can find some old pics of us crazy kids--

Ah, young love! This was taken at Josh's house when we were freshmen in college.

This is probably one of the first pictures we took together. We were probably 17. I still remember this day vividly, so surely it hasn't been 15 years since we took this picture, right?

What high school romance wouldn't be complete without a prom picture? Check out the awesome backdrop!

All that brings us to this day--the happiest day of my life.

We've come a long way from that fabulous day...and I wouldn't change a thing.

The little years

The Little Years are tough. You know, the years when your kids need you CONSTANTLY? Yeah, it's tough. "Mommy, I'm hungry." , "I need to go potty, mommy.", "Mommy, will you play with me?" "PLEEEEAAAASSSEE, Mommy?"

Some days, it's all I can do to keep from turning on the Disney Channel for them, locking myself in my room, and hiding until Josh gets home from work. But why? They aren't doing anything wrong. They're just being kids. Who God intended them to be. I CHOSE to stay home with them so I could be a part of their every day and not miss a thing, not so I could spend my days counting the hours until bed time. (Come on, you know we've all done that!)

Here's my confession of the day. Sometimes I totally lose it with my kids when they haven't even really done anything terribly bad. It's just the culmination of two kids whining or fighting, + the kitchen timer screaming at me, + that darn dust ball on the living room floor that's been staring at me all day....you get the picture. So I lose it. And then I feel terrible. It's not the kids' fault that it hasn't rained in months, so there's dust everywhere. Or that I waited until the last minute to cook dinner, so I'm scrambling to get it done before everyone has a complete hunger meltdown, or that I'm 8 months pregnant. So they feel terrible about being yelled at by "mean mom", and I feel terrible for yelling at them. No one wins. This had been on my mind a lot, when lo and behold, I stumbled across this book a couple of weeks ago:

Let me tell you, this is a fantastic book for anyone who has little kids at home. It's written by a lady who has 5 kids 5 and under at home (yep, you read that right). And if she can love the little years, then surely I can too! I really think it has changed the way a respond to my kids on a daily basis. I'm trying harder to see things from THEIR point of view. Little girls who just want to be with me and help me--not be in my way and annoy me. Do I still get frustrated on a daily basis? Absolutely. But has this book helped me in the way I handle that frustration? Without a doubt.

God gave me these precious children to raise and teach. It's a HARD job, but one that I wouldn't give up in a million years. The Little Years are tough....together, God and I are tougher!

Psalm 127:3-5 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

Vacation!

We just got back from a much-needed vacation. 5 days at the beach in an amazing condo owned by Josh's family (which means it was also an almost-free vacation!) We didn't do anything the whole time we were there except go to the pool, go to the beach, and sit on the balcony and watch dolphins. Man, did we ever need that. The girls got some much-needed daddy time, I got a few naps in, and Josh got a break from work. It was good.

Ready to find some sea shells!

My sweet girls

On the way back to Ft. Worth, we stopped in San Antonio for a day and the girls got some grandparent time while Josh and I got a date day. We shopped for baby stuff, saw a movie, and actually had a peaceful mean. Nice. Even though all of that was wonderful, I was SO happy when we finally pulled into our driveway on Saturday night. My bed had been calling my name the whole week long. Now it's back to the real world. Cleaning, cooking, getting ready for KINDERGARTEN!! Where in the world has this summer gone?

Trying again

Okay, so I haven't blogged in almost a year. Life got busy. But, I was looking back through my posts, and realized that I really need to start this up again. I love being able to have a place to write down the things the kids are doing, or what's going on in our lives and look back on it later. SO...that being said, I'm gonna fire this blog up again and see what happens. No promises, no pressure!

Look...

What I got for my anniversary/birthday:
It was fate. I've been wanting a DSLR for ages, but couldn't stomach the price tag. But then I wandered into Target after my dentist appt the other day, and here this one sat. On clearance. For $200 lower than the normal price. Sweet. Watch out kids, mama's got a brand new camera!

Blessed

I know I might complain every now and then about my crazy kids, my messy husband, or my in-laws, but I.am.blessed. I have some friends who are going through some really tough times right now, and their situations have served as a reminder to me that I should be thankful for everything God has given me:

Him.

And Her.

And Her.

And all of them.

Seriously, I couldn't ask for a better life. And better people to share it with.