Life Changes...

So, I am the middle daughter of 3 girls. My older sister is 2 years older and my little sister is 4 years younger. We are all married to really great guys, and I am the only one with children. So far. Heather, the youngest, announced with great fanfare on Christmas Day that she is expecting her first baby and is due August 13. It was such a fun moment that had us all crying with happiness and excitement. It was also very bittersweet. Heather and Justin moved to Norfolk, VA three days after announcing their news. It is the first time we have lived this far apart ever in our lives. I thought it was difficult to have her three hours away. This is almost unbearable. I am having a difficult time even typing this let alone disussing it with anyone. I barely even got to say "good-bye" to her.

This niece or nephew will be the first one for me on my side of the family and it is difficult knowing that I won't get to know this baby as well as Heather knows my kids. I don't resent them for moving. I completely understand. I really do; however, it is still hard knowing that I will be a stranger to her babies. It is also hard having almost all of my family living so far away. Yeah, yeah...there's the internet and e-mail and phone calls. It's. Not. The. Same.

This factored with the fact that my "baby" will be 7 at the end of this month makes me wish for the very thing my parents told me I would when I grew up. That time would slow down, maybe even stop for awhile.

My Favorite Age.

My daughter, Lauren, is now 20 months old and I have to say, it is my favorite age.

She has always had a laid-back personality, but now, it is really starting to shine through. I was doing my hair the other day and I turned on the radio and she immediately appeared in the bathroom and started dancing. The next day I was in there getting ready for the day, and, again, there she was asking, "On? On?" and pointing at the radio. The girl can bust a move. She is also heading into the "terrible twos." LC can pitch a fit when she wants to, but, thankfully it isn't all that often.

It is interesting to watch her interact with her brothers. Her eyes literally light up when Henry gets up from a nap or Wyatt is picked up from school. However, those poor boys can be bullied by her. You would think it would be the other way around. She is girlie-girl with a tomboy touch. It will be interesting to watch the interactions as they get older, but, it is my hope that the affection they have for each other at this moment stays for a lifetime.

A "Bathroom" Moment...

When I was about 7 or 8, my mom bought my dad a bathrobe for Christmas. She had taken my sisters and I out shopping and we helped to pick it out. When my dad got home from work the day we bought it, my little sister, Heather, informed my him that we bought him a "bathroom" for Christmas. We all tried to shush her, but dad didn't hear her and asked her what she said. She repeated, "we bought you a bathroom for Christmas." My mom became upset and stomped upstairs leaving my other sister and I to explain to my dad what Heather was talking about and why mom was upset. It is still a story talked about in our family today.

Fast forward to Christmas 2006...Todd, my husband, took the boys to work with him Christmas Eve and to run some other errands to pick up presents for some family members. They came home and Henry comes inside and immediately says to me, "Mommy, we bought you a present." Wyatt tells him to shush and I look at Todd and he points at a gift he is holding for my sister and her DH and says, "he's talking about this" and points to the gift basket. Henry then says, "No, we bought you a present, Mommy." I then catch on that Todd did in fact get me a present, but I tell Henry, "I see the present you bought Henry. It's beautiful." At this point, Henry loses his patience and repeats again, "No, Mommy. We bought you a ring. For your finger." I look at Todd and start laughing and crying at the same time. I hug him as I ask him to please not be mad at the little guy who was just so excited about his present for me.

The moral of the story is to never tell an almost 4 year-old something to be kept a surprise unless you want your own "bathroom" moment. So, 25 years after the first one, I get to have my own to remember forever.

BTW, the ring...absolutely beautiful. It is a heart-shaped Garnet surrounded by Diamonds--the birthstones of the three kids. I will cherish it always. The second best part of the gift is that Todd won a promotion at the store, so, it was FREE!! Can you believe that?

Observations

Today is the funeral of President Gerald Ford and being the admirer of Pomp and Circumstance I am, I was watching the ceremonies this A.M. The kids were playing in the rooms around me and, as always, my 7 year old, Wyatt, stopped and watched it for a minute. It was at the moment when the casket was coming down the steps and the camera panned towards a wide, far shot and he asked why there were people on the roof of the Capitol. I had to rewind because I hadn't even noticed them. I simply told him that they were soldiers that were there to make sure everyone stayed safe. It amazes me on a daily basis the things that Wyatt notices/figures out. I have never met a more observant, astute little boy. It makes it difficult sometimes because I never know how far to go with explanations because I don't want to overload him with negative facts.

On a lighter note, Henry, my 4 year old, pointed out that President Ford died because he fell in an American Flag trap. This after seeing the flag-draped coffin. That kid cracks.me.up.

A New Year's Resolution

I have been reading others' blogs for quite some time and kept thinking that I needed to start one. Who would be interested, though? I finally realized that I am interested in keeping, for posterity, the thoughts I have about myself and about being who I am as a wife, mother, nurse, woman. Maybe in years to come my children will read this and realize that although I have made many mistakes, I "tried my best"--as Wyatt always says--and although it wasn't always good enough, it was a learning experience for all of us.

So, welcome to my life, no matter how "Groundhog" dayish it is.