My babies

My babies are growing up fast. They're now two little girls - not babies, not toddlers. Little girls with friends at school and an entirely separate life from us. A life outside of our home, beyond our eyes and arms. On some level, it's a leap of faith.

Time is flying too fast and I'm missing minutia.

Rachel looses her 1st tooth!!

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Little Rachel has FINALLY lost her first tooth. She's been waiting, semi-patiently - for soooo long.

It was quick mommy thinking when Rachel ran in to tell us that she'd lost her tooth and then began to cry when she realized that she'd SWALLOWED it!! (I didn't know people ever actually did that!)

"Rachel, Sweetie, let me see that chocolate egg," I said. "I'll bet you just lost it in that gooey center."

"NO! It's gone, I swallowed it!!"

There was some discussion about waiting until she pooped and searching for it there, but she relented and let me 'search' the chocolate egg. I took the egg ran upstairs and grabbed one of Alex's baby teeth, which, for some unknown reason, the tooth fairy kept giving back to me.

"Found it!" I called, and came downstairs proudly holding 'Rachel's 1st lost tooth.'

Crisis averted, we pulled out the Tooth Fairy pillow and prepared her tooth for pick up. She was over the moon!!

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My own private world...,

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OK - I've moved my blog to my own private world. My thought and family memoir for our eyes only. At least for now. With Twitter and Facebook, we're public enough. It's nice to have a little it of the cyber world - just for us.

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Wondering who you are...,

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I'm wondering who it is that is still looking at our family blog. I've been an infrequent blogger for the past year or so - and am amazed to see stats that say I have 5 visitors a day!

So...., who are you? Leave a comment and let me know...,

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Girl Scouts

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Both the girls joined Girl Scouts just as soon as they started a new school. I think it's helped them both settle in and make new friends.

We're now in the midst of "Cookie Season," which is going to cost us at least $50.00 in cookies. Lord knows we can't eat all those, so we're donating them to the local homeless. I'm hoping this will help them learn just how lucky we are and how much we have.

I'm so happy to see their smiles and hear their giggles. Soooo love them, all they are, and all they're going to be.

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Emerging....,

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Looking through my old photos, I've been having a little fun with Photoshop, making them a bit more interesting with a bit more pop. Here are two identical photos with different treatments....,

Thought both of these were fun.

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Wondering about

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Well. Here I am again. Wondering about with little to do...., I sleep a lot. And, although I'm incredibly well-rested, I'm not feeling great about how I'm spending my days. Getting a bit lost in this big world again.

This mom thing is a little tricky. I want to be home for my kids, but I don't want to 'limit' my own future. That said, I'm not really sure what that means.

This time my quandary really isn't about money. It's about finding something that I care about, or, preferably, passionate about. The silly question? Yes, I'm passionate about my kids and my husband, but--harking back to past blog posts--I'm still in search of something more.

My job at Kaiser was a bit of a farce. I was there during a crazy time for the department, and I didn't give it my all. Especially at the end of my three-year tenure there. I'd lost pretty much all respect for my boss, and an organization rampant w/ infidelity and questionable morals.

Halloween in our New Home

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After just three months in our new home, I thought we might have a smaller Halloween party than usual. Not sure how many people would come to the "new comer's party," I invited more people than I usually do. HA!! All 55, plus a few extra RSVP'd and showed up!!

I was a huge party, and soooo fun! Adults and kids in costume, a big bouncy, games, and the traditional pinata!! So awesome....,

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Momma

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390 times a day I hear the word "Momma."

After staying with us for the weekend, Julia said next time she's here she's going to keep count. "That would drive me NUTs," she said.

It's become so much a part of my daily life that I don't even notice, but I realized that someday they'll be gone and I won't hear "Momma" countless times a day, every day. The thought of my world becoming oddly silent without it made me sad.

"Momma"

That little word expresses so much. Love. Need. Hurt. Want. Kindness.

To be needed and loved and appreciated - there is nothing more wonderful in this life. It makes it all worthwhile.

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OK - The kids are settled. Dave is settled. Now it's time to start my new life in Colorado.

I read a quote on a friends FaceBook page today; "The only thing that stands between a person and what they want in life is often merely the will to try it and the faith to believe its possible."

Couldn't have said it better. I dream of building a photography business and creating beautiful images that people will cherish for a life time and the only thing standing between me and my dream is my fear.

*sigh*

I need a plan, a time line...,

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