Right in the World

2016 was marked with milestone birthdays. I turned 40, Big turned 13 and Lil' turned 10. As much as I dreaded 40, it came on strong and went away like a bad hangover (literally). Daddy planned an awesome dinner with the family and then we met up with some of my favorites in the city to celebrate. I felt old as hell but also loved tremendously.

Big turning 13 I think was harder for me than me turning 40. It's a helluva thing when your baby boy is bigger than you. And although this kid drives me absolutely insane sometimes, he's brought more joy and laughter into my life than I ever thought was possible. But these teenage years man... they're gonna suck. I can hear them coming like a freight train out of control.

He didn't think this was so funny that morning and he didn't let me PLAN ANYTHING FOR HIS PARTY! So I did it without him knowing and it was a surprise party at a restaurant on the island and all his friends were there. So ha! Deal with it. We gave him a charter fishing trip that unfortunately never came to fruition because the seas just weren't having it back in the fall. Hoping we can get him out there when the water starts to flatten back out.

Papa gave him his first fly rod and because of that I was able to capture some of the prettiest flood tide pictures I think I have ever taken on Harborview Road.

And because Lil' is who she is she GLADLY let me plan a party for her and I jumped all over it. So we rented a van.

Yea man... a real van.

And we took ourselves on down to the Japanese steak house for some hibachi. And then we came home and made our own dessert and played Twister and made glow wand jars and then all was right in the world.

Keep Them or Not

So it appears that almost a full year has passed and I haven't written. I was recently reminded of how important it is to keep up with this blog no matter how old you get so my plan is to recap the last year in several posts that will follow.

In trying to retrieve pictures from my phone, I realized that so many things have happened. You know when someone asks "How have you been" and you respond "Same old, same old"? Well, that really isn't the case. Something different and new is always happening with us - good or bad but always something.

I read an article a while back that said it's harder for you to make memories when you're older because your brain is rarely introduced to something new again but when you're young your brain is trying to map out every new experience. The article also said that if adults would slow down and be intentional about making the memories, they would happen more often. Notice colors, shapes, new roads, new faces - try to notice details so that your brain sees them as something new to remember. I've tried to do that more often this year but even so, I was floored by how much I've already forgotten that we did and how much you have grown right in front of my face.

So I'm going to start with April 2016 since I left off in March. April brought us Easter which is now and really always has been one of my favorite holidays. My Easters were always spent on Oak Island hiding easter eggs in Mabel's azalea and rose beds. I try to remember now and count the steps it took to get to the creek from the house and if I'm skipping in my mind correctly, I think there were 5.

We don't go to Oak Island anymore, but I still love the day and the season that it marks.

This is Clyde and Mabel back in the day. I have to include this picture on this post because I honestly can't remember an Easter when I was young when I didn't spend it with them.

We went to church on Easter Sunday this year in Chapin and got to see Choobs and BooBoo.

Dying Easter eggs fortunately is one thing Big can still get on board with. It's always a competition to see who can get their egg to be the darkest. Because of his competitive spirit, Big usually wins but I would never tell Lil' that to her face.

So like I said the posts are gonna start coming hopefully in somewhat of the order of how they happened. Our brains are finicky and the books that come from this blog help me remember some of the best moments of my life whether my brain wants to keep them or not.

See What I Mean?

What a whirlwind since I last wrote. So much has happened. Nettie had her back surgeries (all 3 of them) back in the fall. Daddy had to take over for a while so that I could be with her and Papa. She's been through so much. But she showed us how much one can take and keep on swinging.

I've just spent some time looking at all these blogs I follow and I'm finding some comfort in seeing that other people have slacked off on their blogs too. It's gotten ridiculously hard to keep up with this thing but I'm already so thankful for the posts I wrote when you were little. And even though the posts I write now are so far and few in between, I know I'll be thankful for these too.

I'm also finding comfort in seeing that other people's kids are growing up. Because I am hit in the face daily with the fact that you are. I grab onto any chance I can get lately to actually do "mom" things for you because you do so much on your own. You take care of yourselves for the most part and I'm so proud that you do but man I miss the days when you couldn't from time to time. The days you ran out of school to me or the times you came in crying because you fell outside. You stay home alone and if you're hungry, you make yourself something. If you want lemonade, you make that too.

I barely even help with homework anymore. Lil' still needs me for that but Big sure doesn't. He has taken ownership of his grades and Daddy and I have somewhat released those reigns. He's grabbing onto his future and I'm so proud that he seems to know how important his education is already. And he's killing it! His grades are unbelievable especially considering everything else he has going on. Basketball is life and he works almost every single day improving his game. Weird stuff is happening to him physically but he's handling all of it beautifully and it amazes me every day that he is already 12 and has one foot out of door most all of the time. I feel myself clinging to him and trying to keep him close but it's like trying to put a bird in a cage. It's hard to do and you feel guilty for trying.

Lil' is growing too. The games she plays are changing. It's not so much dolls for her anymore but more about real life: living in an apartment, playing school, etc. She did ask me for a doll recently and I jumped at the chance to buy it for her because I know those times are coming to an end. You're still riding horses and doing gymnastics. I swear watching Lil' on a horse is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in life. That smile when you canter... it stops my heart. You are the nicest person I know and you keep our family glued. You are the light. You just went on your first overnight field trip and I counted the hours until you got home. The moment I found out you were a girl I had no idea what I was going to do with you. Now, I have no idea what to do without you.

See what I mean?

                             

See what I mean?