AND THEN SHE GRADUATED KINDERGARTEN...

AND THEN SHE GRADUATED KINDERGARTEN...

May 25, 2016

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I don't know that I actually have the words to write this post. I'd like to say that they were pouring from my fingers but they aren't. My girl is in her last days of Kindergarten and I am struggling with the fact that I will have a first grader.

I can't be the only mom that struggles between the thought of being happy that her kids are growing up so well and being sad that time passes by so quickly. I was right here. I was RIGHT HERE. I brought them home from the hospital bundled up. I fed them and bathed them and I was there for every single moment. Soccer practices and dance recitals. Scrapes and bumps and hospital stays. Haircuts and first days of school. Birthdays and Christmas mornings. I saw them all. I was right there. Yet, it feels almost impossible that we are here. That we've reached this milestone where our girl has graduated from Kindergarten.

So, to my darling daughter...

You did it! This was all you, babe. I may have washed your uniforms and packed your lunches and made sure to drop you off every morning on time. I may have been there for a field trip and special events. I may have always been around to cheer you on and support you. But, this? It was you, my sweet girl. You found the confidence and bravery inside of you to find your way through Kindergarten in a brand new school. You opened your heart to new friends. You opened your mind to new things. You let your comfort circle grow to encompass your classroom and your hallway and your teachers and all the new situations you found yourself in. You worked hard to learn to read. You focused when you needed to. You picked up new skills and new words. You learned and you grew and you thrived. It was always you. I am so proud of you! 

You are just embarking on a new adventure again. First grade is another new beginning and before we both know it, you'll be moving on to even bigger and better things. It hurts to let you go even though I know it's something I have to do. I have to give you your space to grow and flourish. I just want you to remember one thing though. When you face something new and you are scared or nervous or uncomfortable and when you are dealing with people who do not make you feel like your best...just remember, it doesn't matter what others are doing, it matters what YOU are doing. And you, beautiful girl, you are rocking life.

Mama loves you, xo.

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AROUND HERE

AROUND HERE

September 29, 2015

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Things have been a little unsettled lately. I'm stressing about my classes and an English midterm and a History paper (which I finally wrote!).

I feel a bit like a hamster on a wheel. I keep moving forward and tackling to-do lists and getting things done but at the end of the day I feel like everything is piled back up again. I feel like I'm getting nowhere.

It sucks. And it feels really hard somedays. So, I just keep thinking that this time of our lives won't last forever. I'll finish this school semester. And so will M. We'll make it through the holidays and we'll enjoy them. Nothing lasts forever.

In the meantime, I've been trying (barely) to keep up with the blog and documenting our days. I've got mostly gritty iPhone shots to look back on but it's something. 

Life lately has looked like my books scattered around the house, a tiny baby boy with no fear who crawls everywhere, a busy husband who is a huge help and a sassy little kindergartener. Lots of sandwiches being made late at night to be tucked into her lunchbox. Piles of tiny laundry that needs to be stored away with the newborn sizes. Pumpkins on the porch. A laundry room project waiting around. But mostly, smiles and hugs throughout these crazy days of ours.

SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave

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THIRTY-FIVE | FIFTY-TWO

THIRTY-FIVE | FIFTY-TWO

August 30, 2015

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Lia: after school afternoons. a scrape on her chin from a tumble in gym class, sweet little uniforms, and that toothless grin that still gets me.

Nicolas: being a ham and getting his way in life. he's not a fan of school pick-up lines and he lets it be known loud and clear until I let him in the front and he tries his hardest to press buttons, shove his face against the windows and blow the horn.

I'm doing this series - a portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2015. Follow along, link up & find more from this project here.

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FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

August 17, 2015

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Our girl went off to Kindergarten today! I was pretty prepared for a meltdown or two and I stashed some tissues in my car but surprisingly, there were no tears all day and L is crazy excited to keep going to school.

She's in class with one of her best friends already and when I asked if she made any new friends she said she was "still deciding!". So, yeah... :)

She had a great first day and everything seemed to go smooth. I think she needs a little practice learning to eat lunch in 20 minutes but I think it will all be good.

Here's to an awesome year for our girl!

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THE LAST DAYS OF SUMMER

THE LAST DAYS OF SUMMER

August 15, 2015

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These last few days of Summer are flying by. Tomorrow is all we have before life once again changes before our eyes. We've kept the kids up and out late all weekend. Baseball games, donut runs, a movie in the backyard. We're trying to squeeze in every last minute we have.

I feel utterly unprepared for Monday morning. I still need to buy lunch things. And wash new school clothes. There's a brand new backpack waiting to be filled downstairs.

I can remember the day Lia was born like it was yesterday. Most of my labor with her was a blur but still, I remember it. And then I blinked and we're here. On the brink of Kindergarten. People say once they start school, you may as well go ahead and buy their cap and gown. I am terrified at how true that statement just might be.

My girl is starting Kindergarten. Time keeps moving ahead, faster than the day before, and I just want to dig my heels in. I want things to come to a screeching halt. I want to go back and relive a few more days from last week. I need to soak in the feelings of having my two babes home with me. I want to dig my heels in the ground and scream STOP! We're not ready. She's not ready! We aren't doing this.

But she is ready. And, we'll figure out how to be ready. Time doesn't really care how I feel. It can be brutal sometimes. 

Our sweet girl is funny and kind and clever and so beautiful. She's learning to say how she feels and what she means. She gets a little braver each day. She is so ready for this new chapter in her life. She's got so many things ahead of her and so many good things to put down in her story. 

I'm not really sure how to let go. I don't know how to be okay with it. But, I do know how to love her like crazy. And, I do know how to be excited for her.

So, come Monday morning, when I drag myself out of bed exhausted and terrified, I'll help her into her uniform, I'll show her how to pull her socks all the way to her knees and watch as she buckles up her brand new shoes. I'll take extra care to pin her hair out of her eyes. 

Then, we'll walk her into school. We'll walk her into the next nine years of her life with brave looks on our faces because even though we really want to curl up in a corner and cry, we know our girl is going to rock this.

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