Good mommy moments and bad mommy moments. As mothers, we have our share of both every single day, yet we seem to mention our bad mommy moments way more than we mention the good ones. Why is that? Why do we put more focus on the bad mommy moments? Is it because we are too hard on ourselves? Or […]
my first 5k run
Recently I ran in a 5k race. It was my first 5K. Running (as exercise) has always been on my “list-of-things-to-do”. I have this long list going (my “list-of-things-to-do” which some call a bucket list) and since I’m almost 45 years old (how did that happen?) I figure I better start getting some of these […]
February 17
February 17th is an icky, icky day for me. Each year when it comes around, I get a sort of knot in my stomach, anticipating that something bad’s going to happen. When this date rolls around each year, I have a hard time saying “yes” when my kids want to go someplace without me. “Can […]
twenty years
Today I have been a mother for 20 years. Twenty years!!! I still can’t believe it. And this is the little girl who made me a mama…. This photo makes me laugh because she looks so unhappy to be out of the womb. I mean, look at that crabby face! She gets much happier as […]
the graduate
She graduated!!! I am so proud of her! As she walked across that stage, all I could think about was all that she had been through to get to this day. She had to learn to walk and talk again to get to this day. She had to learn to write with her left hand […]
Super Bowl Baby
Today is Super Bowl Sunday!Not that I’m a fan of football or anything, but this certain Sunday of the year will always be special to me. You see, I became a mommy on Super Bowl Sunday, 1993. I went into labor the night before, and Rich said, “Do you think you’ll have the baby tomorrow?” […]
nineteen
Yesterday was my oldest daughter’s 19th birthday. Her last year being a teenager! It’s crazy how the time goes by so quickly. her first Halloween ~ 1993 So she is graduating from high school this spring. I can’t begin to tell you how much this thrills me and how much I look forward to watching […]
parking pass
Since Afton has her driver’s license now, she and Audriana have been driving to school this year. Although Audriana is the older sister, she cannot drive due to her brain injury. She is a senior this year, and all seniors who have a driver’s license get to park in the Senior Parking area of the […]
15 years
Audriana & Aria…the best of friends.Even with 15 years between them. Audriana: Toopie, are we best friends forever and ever?Aria: Bes fwenz fo-eber an eber! Then they do the “pinkie swear” thing where they link their pinky fingers together. I see this all the time lately. Audriana just adores her baby sister, and Aria’s favorite […]
perspective
When Audriana was in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit many years ago, I remember taking breaks in this one hallway where other parents would gather when they wanted to be alone. This hallway wasn’t busy. It was off to the side, away from all the hustle and bustle of the hospital. In the morning the sunlight would […]
Winter Formal Photos
My two oldest daughters went to their high school’s Winter Formal dance last weekend. It is customary for the girls to ask the guys to this particular dance, and both girls asked a friend to be their “date”. So just to be clear: the “dates” are not “boyfriends” but just friends! Audriana and her […]
Party, Party!
Finally, some photos of Audriana’s 18th Birthday Party… Opening gifts. We had quite the crowd in our living room! Andrew made it a special point that I take him shopping for Audriana’s birthday. It was so important to this little four-year-old that he get his sister a birthday gift, one that he picked out “all […]
She inspires me
Since Audriana’s 18th birthday, I have been going back in time a bit, thinking about her 18 years. I really can’t believe she’s 18 years old already. I’m still trying to wrap my brain around this fact.I’m in the process of putting all of my old film photos onto disc. Some of these photos I […]
She’s Eighteen Today
Eighteen years ago today, at 1:06pm on Superbowl Sunday, I held my first child in my arms. The feeling of that moment cannot adequately be described, so I won’t even attempt it. But I will say this: I love all my children equally; this is very true. And all the births are so special. But […]
love/hate relationship
BACK THEN and RIGHT NOW These two girls might take nice photos together — but that’s where the niceness ends. As soon as the photo is taken, they quickly separate and rarely talk unless they are barking an order at each other, or accusing the other of taking her hairbrush, or getting angry that […]
Everything is going to be okay….
Not to spoil the ending for you….. but everything is going to be okay. I love this! I just saw this saying on another blog, and wow…it just really hit home. It’s not like I’m going through a hard time right now or anything like that. But I can just remember back to a time […]
Going Red
Audriana decided to do her hair with red highlights. Um…too much? Yea, well…you remember what it was like to be seventeen, don’t you? I used to squeeze lemons in my hair and bake out in the sun in the hopes of becoming a blonde. I also used a product called “Sun-In” that was supposed to work better than […]
The Gathering Place
So here I am in my office again. Hiding. Shhhhhh….don’t tell the kids where I am. I cherish these minutes alone… Last night was another LATE night for me. Audriana had a few friends over for another backyard bonfire. Our place is certainly turning into the popular gathering place for teens lately. I love that! […]