My mommy moment

One thing I really dislike is that as a photographer I am always behind the camera. Which means I don't get to be in any pictures with my girls that often. I decided to fix that problem. For mother's day, I wanted to have new pictures with me and my girls. So I set up a back drop, a tripod, and pulled out the wireless remote and made my own version of a photo booth. Not only did we get pictures together, but we had fun doing it. And these pictures are my most prized possessions now.

Letter to Azure

Dear Azure,

What an adventure you are. 

You keep me on my toes. You keep me guessing your next move. You keep running faster and faster to prevent me from catching you. 

You are growing too big.

Whenever I try to pick you up I forget how heavy you are. And that you barely fit in my lap. You have grown so much. I know that in no time you will pass me up.

How beautiful you are. Your eyes, your hair, you sweet smile. 

Your cute little poses when you dance. Your "up to no good" grins.

Your knock knock jokes.

Knock knock. Who's there? Justin.

Justin who? Justin Bieber.

You made that one up all on your own.

How smart you are. Reading words. Writing words. Dressing yourself. Brushing your own hair and teeth.

It makes me want to cry.

My baby is not a baby anymore.

You are ready for school. You ask every day if today is the day that you will get to go to school. You want to learn and play with your friends. You want to pack a lunch and wear a backpack. You want to start soccer and dance lessons. You want to have a life that separate from home and me.

And you know what? That's okay.

We have had some fun times together, you and me. We've had many adventures, going to play dates, the beach, the circus, ice skating, picnics, museums. We've cooked and baked and scrap booked. We've tickled, we've laughed, we've cried, we've yelled and argued and disagreed.

And now we are ready for more. 

Only this time, we get to do the big girl activities.

So while I cherish every moment I've had in the last five years, I also cherish what we will have in the next five years. Because it will be amazing. And fun. And the best years of my life, just because I know you will be in it.

You are beautiful. Don't ever think you aren't. You have what it takes inside. Make it count.

I know you will.

I love you.

Claire

Dear Claire,

Time flies. For me, it feels like the speed of light. In the blink of an eye you grew. Every moment seems like a blur. Every hug, kiss, smile etched into my heart.

I am amazed at the things you've already accomplished in your life.

I am amazed at the wisdom and light in your eyes.

I am amazed by  your selflessness.

I am amazed at how you love, wholeheartedly, freely, without expectations.

I am amazed by your pure innocence.

I am amazed at your ability to make people smile and laugh.

I am amazed at how fast you learn and with enthusiasm.

I am amazed at how well you listen and understand.

I am amazed at how spiritually in tune you are.

I am amazed by your independence, always wanting to do things on your own.

I am amazed by how you light up a room by just being in it.

You are radiant.

You are amazing.

You are you.

Never change.

I cherish every hug, every kiss, every smile, every moment of every day.

I am privileged to be your mother. 

I am honored to call you my daughter.

I couldn't be more proud.

What I learned from 2010

It's 2011.
Seriously. Time has once again flown by me and I didn't even notice. It's now eleven days into the new year and I'm just now getting to update the blog. I meant to write this before the new year, but what can I say? Procrastinator is my middle name. Or at least it should be.

I can honestly say that I didn't enjoy 2010 as much as I wanted to. In fact, without going through my hordes of pictures, I can hardly remember anything about it. But here were a few of my highlights:

I improved a lot on my photography.

It was one of my goals for the year, to improve on what I did know and to learn what I didn't know. And though I can't say I'm perfect and can get a great picture every time, I have improved. I'm quite proud of myself for that.

I learned new recipes and in doing so have found a lot of easy shortcuts to good dinners.
Google is my best friend. Any time I want to make something, but in dummy language( without the overwhelming list of ingredients or 60 minute prep times,) I google for an easier version and I can usually find a good one 98% of the time. Google and I are best friends.

We had an awesome trip to Mesa.

We did a lot of activities with the girls while we were there and had a blast. Museums, swimming, the zoo. Spending time with family and friends wasn't bad either.

Azure and Claire both had swim lessons.

It was Azure's first time alone in her lessons. Thank goodness, one of our former babysitters, Missy was her swim teacher. She freaked out the first day when they wanted her to go under water. But she was a trooper and did great. Claire freaked out when the teachers took her swimming around the pool without me. My kids have a lot of learning to do in swim still, but I'm glad that they made an effort.

Claire was potty trained and sleeps in a big girl bed.
No more diapers! No more crib!

So, there are some memories that didn't fly by without touching me, and I'm excited for the new year and what memories I can make this year.




Here is what I learned during 2010:

Babies grow up. I don't have one anymore. That's kind of sad to me.

Whoever said four year olds were better than three year olds and were nicer and had less attitude, LIED.

Having a puppy is like having a baby, only twice as stressful. You can take a baby to the grocery store, but you can't take a dog. We do miss Molly, but I don't miss the stress of having to rush through errands to get home to be with her. I know she is happy in her new home.

Some things are just better homemade.

I have very awesome family and friends who step up to help and support without even asking.

I am stronger than I think.

When I rely on the Lord, all things are possible.

Asking to learn patience is a stupid thing because life just gets harder. But the blessings are worth it.

Miracles happen. Even to me.

After twenty nine years of life, I still have a lot more left to learn.


So here's to 2010, a year of lessons taken to heart.

One of my goals for 2011- to be a better blogger. I suck at blogging. I'm not sure why because I love to write. I love to jot down what I'm feeling or thinking. Perhaps that is why I love facebook so much. It is constantly asking "what is on your mind?" I love to say what is on my mind.

In order for me to keep up with my blog, I have to schedule my posts on my calendar. Stupid I know. But I will forget otherwise. I also think it will be easier if I share a new recipe I tried and liked every week or a craft I want to learn. At least people will benefit from my posts that way. It will also help me to kep track of my many other goals for 2011.
So stay tuned. I'm not going to just survive 2011. I'm gonna own it!