Mother's Day

Has it really been almost four years since I was last in this space?

 A lot has happened in that time. Some good, some bad. Some sweet, some sad. We have been blessed throughout.

K is finishing up third grade, and J, her freshman year of high school. As cliche as it sounds, where did the time go?  I wish I could go back and really take the time to document all the special moments we've had.  I would've uploaded more photos, videos, and taken more silly little tests like the Jane Austen test I took with J all those years ago.

My girls and I recently rediscovered this blog. For years, I thought it was lost in cyberspace.  When I finally remembered the URL and figured out how to log back in, a treasure trove of memories awaited us.

I'm so thrilled to have these little snapshots of time, and kick myself for all those I missed.  I wonder what my girls will remember of their childhood.  I wonder what stories will become the family folklore, you know, the ones that only come out at big family gatherings.  Will they say, "Oh yeah, mom was always so crazy about that?"  Will they say, with knowing glances, "We are lucky to be normal."

There are, of course, so many things I wish I could go back and redo.  Those country songs about loving deeper and riding a bull named Fu Manchu are so spot on.  At the end of the day, all each of us really wants is to know that when we leave this earth we will have touched people and made lives better.  All I really ever wanted was for my girls to know that I love them more than anything.  I wish I could've been a more nurturing, stronger, fierce mama bear type of mother.

My hope and prayer is that each of my girls will know, no matter what they're going through, that they have number one fans at home.

My other hope, and I tell my girls this often, is that even after we're gone they know they have each other.

I pray that they're the ones each other turns to when they need a friend, advice, or just someone to talk to.

I pray they have coffee dates, time away dates together.

I pray they never forget that they have each other. 

I pray they stay close.