It can't be done. Not at the speed of our lives these days.
NOT blogging, well that pretty much defines the speed of our lives these days. Maybe you'd noticed? Or maybe no one even checks anymore to see if there is anything new (ok, I know at least Donna still does...:))
Nearly every day at least one thing happens or one thing is said that sparks a blog post idea in my little mind, but the moments pass and the days pass and the weeks pass and the thoughts get all jumbled and I forget all the profound and funny things I had wanted to share.
It's easier just to not try to capture it all or, instead, to put up a Facebook status update...the instantaneous way to share little snippets with so much less thought or effort right from my trusty little iPhone. Besides which, the laundry piles up (again), the dishes get dirty (again), the floor and table get sticky (again), we run out of milk (again), the little girls need baths (again)...I rarely sit down in front of a real keyboard to attempt to write.
Until I realize that is really HAS been about six weeks since I've recorded anything here and that amounts to fully HALF the amount of time that Isabel has been home. And that, my friends, is unacceptable.
Blogging, you see, is my way of processing our lives. This blog is really my own selfish little therapeutic vehicle. And it's time for some writing therapy.
Since all of the potential blog posts are now a mish-mash in my feeble brain, this blog post will itself be a random mish mash of thoughts...be forewarned.
Mothering Four: Let me start with a saying I've heard that "a mother is only as happy as her saddest child." I've also heard it said that "to become a mother is to forever have your heart walking around outside your own body." Both of these sayings ring true with me. So with 4 children, I have a pretty good chance of feeling angst at any given time. Especially when their age range means that I have someone in high school while still having a preschooler at home with me. Juggling is not an adequate word for what I do every day.
Birthdays, Birthdays, Birthdays: June is a big month for us! Isabel turned 6 and Anna turned 12. We celebrated Bella's birthday with cupcakes and ice cream sodas on the front lawn with neighborhood friends, and Anna will have her kids' party this Friday--a "Dramatic Fanatic" mystery party. Last weekend we had my folks here for a celebration, and it was SO much fun to see all the little girls together. SO good, too, to have some time to catch up as a family.
Sisters and Friends: Oh my goodness are Lilly and Bella ever two peas in a pod these days. I know Bella is excited to have Lilly home for the summer. They play together--usually really nicely--ALL the time. Their favorite place to play is in our front yard...they take a blanket and what seems like ALL of their toys outside and just play play play. They most often play with their babies, and recently set up birthday parties for all of the baby dolls outside with some creative props. Frequently neighborhood kids come over and playwith them, which they (and I!) love. Take a look:
Lilly lost her first tooth...the tooth fairy broke with tradition and actually showed up the
very night that she lost it.
School is OUT! The school year ended with the usual crazy few weeks filled with end-of-year field trips, concerts, musicals, plays, performances, parties, and--in Anna's case--her second elementary school graduation in as many years. (Florida's elementary school ended in 5th grade, Virginia's elementary schools extend through 6th).
I am so proud of each of the kids for making it through their first year in a new school system--in Jared's case his first year of high school, in Anna's case a year at the top of a school where most of the kids have been together for 6 years, and, in Lilly's case, her first year of full-time school with 3 surgeries in one school year. Witness the transformation in Lilly this year:
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| First walk to the bus stop...looking unsure... |
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| Here comes the bus for the first time...downright terrified (mama's heart breaking here)... |
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| Proud kindergartener on her last day of school, heading to the bus stop...what a long way she has come! |
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| Lilly and her beloved Mrs. LaDestro...Isabel is hoping she'll be her teacher next year. |
Summer Plans:
"I like the things that summer brings, it brings so many many things..." Dr Seuss.
We have many fun things planned for the summer, and I know it is going to fly by. Swim team, a few summer piano lessons, a week of vacation with my family at a lakeside cabin, a week of summer camp for Anna, Vacation Bible School, and--for Lilly--another expansion surgery ahead in August. Throw into the mix some fun day trips I have in my mind to do, and it could be a really fun summer.
Jared started his summer vacation by heading off to the hills of West Virginia yesterday for 3 weeks of SALT--Servants' and Leaders' Training--at a Christian camp. He is pretty excited about it, and we are excited for the ways God might use this experience to draw him closer to the Lord and mold in him a servant-leader's heart. Isabel had a really hard time saying goodbye--sobbing after we prayed over him and said our goodbyes. "Where will he sleep?" and "What will he eat?" seemed to be her main concerns...made me wonder if she thinks we're leaving him at an orphanage. I assured him he is very excited, and that he will have plenty to eat and he likes to sleep outside in a tent, really. After dropping him, we enjoyed Father's Day in the great outdoors, hiking along some gorgeous trails...
All for now!! Another post for another day...Isabel's medical testing, educational testing, and prospects for her growth and development.
