A, B and E…..as in Eli!

How many of you have more than one child?  More than two?  Do you feel like sometimes you don't write down everything for the baby book or take as many pictures as you did with the first one or two?

For me, pictures isn't the issue.  I love to take pictures!  It's documenting the events or writing things down before I forget them.  I was so good when I had one child.  Baby book was up to date and the first year scrapbook was done shortly after her first birthday.  The photo album was a work of love.  I remember spending hours on it while she napped and even worked on it with friends.  I believe this was around the time of the Creative Memories craze!

Second child, baby book is little more complete and her first year photo album was also a scrapbooking masterpiece (ok, it really isn't that great, but I still took lots of time on it!), though it was finished closer to her 2nd birthday.

Third child…well... his baby book is more of a baby scrap book in that there are scraps of paper in a box with things written down I don't want to forget.  And his one year photo album was complete by his 4th birthday with the help of a digital photo site….oh my how time has changed!  I don't know what I would do without Shutterfly!  At the same time I don't know what I did before Shutterfly.

Summer Road Trip 2014

We are a family who loves to travel and see new places.  We are also a family who has a daughter with Rett Syndrome which makes certain types of transportation easier than others.   As a family, the car is our preferred method of traveling right now for various reasons.

Last summer we loaded up the Yukon XL and left the sticky summer heat in Richmond to head to hot and humid Houston.  We were going from bad to worse in the heat category.  However, believe it or not we had incredible weather when we were there and even felt a breeze…every day!  I think they were having cooler weather than normal for them….we didn't complain….at all!

This year we headed in the opposite direction….NORTH!  We did what many "wiser" (and by wiser I mean older) folks do in the summa'….head North where it is coola.  Yes, I am trying to talk like I am a Yankee…well, I am by birth, but luckily my mom moved to the South as soon as she could…thanks mom!

Off to Middle School!

I can't believe I typed the title of this post.

I can't believe Anna Cate's elementary school years are over.

Kindergarten, first grade, second grade, third grade, fourth grade and fifth grade.  Puff!  Gone!

Anna Cate when she started 1st grade at REES!

Three years ago it seemed like this day was still far away, but now the time has come.  We say goodbye to the school that welcomed us with open arms five years ago.  We say goodbye to our comfort zone.  And we say goodbye to a dear friend of Anna Cate's who is moving this summer.

Christmas in February

Christmas was three months ago; however, on some levels it feels like it was just yesterday.  It must have to do with the fact my children have missed ELEVEN days of school this year due to snow days and as I type this, there is an 80% chance of a slushy mix tomorrow.  Seriously?!?!?  It is March 24th! (yes I started this post…that long ago….however, it is only April 4th and to think we had snow 11 days ago is crazy!)

One plus to the winter we have had this year is the fact that when we took the kids away to enjoy their Christmas present from us, it truly felt like Christmas.

I am sure many of you are like us and every year you look under the tree on Christmas morning and can't believe how many presents are staring at you.  You ask yourself where did these come from?!?!  Is ALL this necessary?!?!?!

Quickly the room looks like a tornado came through as wrapping paper is all over the place leaving you  with memories of love and joy from seeing the sheer happiness on your child's face.  They are playing with the toy they asked for and had to have.  They are so excited Santa listened to their wishes!  However, months later, while the memories still remain, the novelty of the "must have" toy has vanished.  You find many of the items they had to have are no longer important and just sit on the shelf or floor.

Christmas 2013 was an eye opener for me…for us.

My One and Only Love

Happy Valentine's Day!

I thought it would be a great time to write a post about our 15th Anniversary trip we took in October.  I have been enjoying looking at our pictures over and over again especially on these snowy days.

But first, here's our love story…..how cupid struck love with his arrow…..17 years ago!

The "S" Word!

Anyone else feeling the winter blahs?  Every year I get them, but this year I think it is worse due to the "s" word which has kept my kids home from school more times than I would like to mention.  And another storm is approaching….well at the time of me posting this, the storm has arrived and school is cancelled…again.

The winter blahs have also made it hard for me to write... actually hard for me to think about something to write about.  I have sat in front of my computer and started posts, many different times.  And then I hit delete and start over.  I just wasn't feeling it.

All these snow days have helped me "focus" on different aspects of my life.  In the past I would have complained on and on about my kids being home, driving me crazy and not having enough caffeine and wine to get through it all.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I didn't complain about all the past snow days...I did, but for the first time it really truly wasn't about the kids being home.   Of course having my kids home for 11 days (including weekends!) got to me….and I to them, as we all craved our routine...our schedules....our sanity.  But something inside me changed.

What is Normal?

I never really think about what a word means, in truth depth, until "that" word takes on a new meaning in my life.

Lately for me,  I have been thinking about the word "normal".  

I love those wood signs you see everywhere now….they are funny, beautiful, witty, cute…I love them all.  I have a few around my house and I love how each one truly speaks to me.  I love how when I read them they make my mind wander to some other place.

Over the holidays my husband and I were at a party and we saw this sign hanging on the wall of a friend's home.  

We looked at each other and said, "we need that!".   My children (with the help from my husband of course) gave me the new sign for Christmas.   And I love it!

Every day I see it and re-read it,  so I have been thinking more and more about the word "normal".

What is normal?