It's been three years since I complained publicly about it, but she went ahead and did it again, like she does every year; the nerve.
This cutie-turning-beauty made the jump over into 9-year-oldness two Tuesdays ago with her usual gusto and determination; apparently, she has long possessed a slightly rebellious streak:
But when you've always been that cute, really--who's going to argue with you?
*shrugs shoulders*
Oh, dear.
♥ I miss this baby. ♥
This year has served me many reminders of time marching on; I learn a little more each day about simply embracing it, and trusting that there is just as much goodness and joy for us in the future as there has been for us in the past.
Since celebrating Malia's last birthday as a Single-Digiteer, we've celebrated a few more in this family:
(Oh, hey--didn't expect to see you here. But then, you probably didn't expect to see me here either, huh? I mean, despite the fact that it's my blog, and all.)
Seriously, guys, what is going ON?
{shrugs shoulders} I don't know. Writer's block again, I guess. What an identity crisis, being a writer who can't write.
Now I'll admit, I sometimes startle myself with the cool stuff I'm able to fluff out, like this one, or that one, or even random ones like this one; it's fun, I sound intelligent--life is good, you know? (Why, yes, this is a blatant attempt to remind you of just how good I can be sometimes.)
And then there are days when I wake up, and all I can think is,
"Me. Want. Cookie."
That's it--that's as good as it gets. (And don't even try to pretend you didn't go back over that quote in your best Cookie Monster voice.)
Well, it's been a "Me.Want.Cookie" couple of months; I don't even know where to begin. Maybe I'll just leave you with a single picture of our beauties, on their way to Uncle Josh and Aunty Bethany's wedding:
Well, there's nothing quite like the pressure to get my house ready for company to remind me of how vitally important it is for me to update my blog; funny how that works. :-p
It doesn't help that the weather this morning is my preferred "writing weather"--a misty, cool, raindrop-symphony kind of a day. The couch feels comfier, the coffee tastes better, my brain feels clearer on days like this; it makes you wonder how I functioned, growing up on a sunny tropical island. It won't surprise you to know the ocean has the same effect on my sense of well-being; perhaps I am a "water baby" in the truest sense: it's no matter, the source--just let me dance in it.
As I've already mentioned, we are making preparations for a full house; the family is convening for the wedding of Oldest Younger Brother. This will be a week of "firsts" for us: first brother to get married; first major life change since Mom's passing; first anniversary of her death. That's right, folks--Saturday marks a year. I know you've not been dwelling on it--it'd be kind of odd if you were ;-p--but it has surely been an ever-constant in my mind. I remember, in the days after Mom's passing, some of the random, sometimes irrational thoughts that came to me; the one that stands out in particular this week is, "We can't change; we all have to stay exactly as we are in this moment, because how can we become people Mom never knew us to be?" It's funny, the ways in which we try to cope with loss, the things that suddenly qualify as "sensible" as we try to keep rooted in a foundation that is shifting and crumbling and redefining itself all at once. It's not surprising that stagnancy would suddenly feel more like stability; but stagnant water is a prime breeding ground for all sorts of unhealthy...stuff, and so can our lives become, if we refuse to keep flowing, circulating, allowing the tides of time to move things in and out of our lives, as it has since this world began. It can be hard to trust that as we get older, and the "goodbye" experiences begin to outnumber the seemingly never-ending "hello" experiences of our youth. I have begun to struggle with that even down into the "littler" things: the scattering of the family as all return to their homes after this wedding; the sending off of my brother into his new life; and looking only slightly further down the road to the flight my own little birdies will take when they finally launch off into the wild blue yonder. :') Scary stuff. Looking inward and upward, trusting and growing roots deeper in Him.
Wowza. Well, I never claimed not to have issues. :)
Let me bring this back to happy, because life is good, and I prefer people to leave my blog with smiles on their faces. The following video fuels my happy on so many levels; I hope it does something for you, too:
I love watching the hesitant observers become willing participants. :)
Joy is contagious--go out and spread some.
(And may I one day have the courage to bust a move at the Silverdale library. :D)
Wow--it's been a big weekend. Celebrating my 13th Mama's Day, and the official induction into teenagehood for Oldest Daughter--{gulp}. I can hardly believe it. And I really wish I could whip up something like this birthday post from last year, but, alas, my writer's block has been insurmountable for the past 11 months. It'll come to me...
It was a happy weekend, complete with the coolest glow party this house has ever seen (courtesy of The Uncles, of course), and quiet moments of reflection and remembrance.
Let me start off with pics from the party:
This is *my* sweet, well-we-have-to-give-her-credit-for-trying-I-guess
contribution to the decorations. I'll just note that if you need someone
to hang decorations from the ceiling, maybe a 4-and-a-half foot tall
person will not be the best idea you've ever had.
(To be fair, it was my idea. :-p)
Group shot on the stairs before admission
to the REAL party.
And, {there} you go.
Seriously, brothers?!?! This is how my brothers
subtly let me know that despite the fact that I am the older sister,
they are, and always have been, better than me at everything,
even the pretty, sparkly stuff.
Needless to say, the girls were {thrilled}.
A lighter shot, courtesy of the professional. :)
Does someone want to give me credit for this cool idea?
Okay, fine--it was Pinterest's idea.
These days, aren't they {all} Pinterest's ideas?
Opening presents.
She's gorgeous, no? :')
The grown-ups, seeking respite in the living room.
(And, a call-to-arms in support of the idea that Christmas
lights should not be reserved for Christmas only.)
As you can imagine, Saturday was recovery day, with clean-up and lots of naps involved. Sunday has been sweet, with lunch after meeting with the brothers, and Sean, and some sweet-parents-to-be; and then an amazing surf 'n turf dinner with the brothers--I have never eaten so much crab in my life, I think.
Now, close of day, and another first--first Mother's Day without *my* mama. Tonight, as I drift off to sleep, I will close my eyes, and I will see {her} eyes smiling back at me, and I will be made infinitely grateful again for lessons learned and impressions made during her short time here.
(Don't forget to hit pause on my playlist in the upper right sidebar.)
This was the slideshow Mom's sons created for her service; the opening track is a song our dad wrote as a teenager. The last 4 minutes or so of the slideshow were added later to include moments from our final farewell to our precious mom. I hesitate to use the word "perfect" to describe anything other than God's will for our lives, but I'll make an exception here; this day was a {perfect} tribute to her life. I miss her every day.
The Fab Five, upholding their tradition of excellence.
Hello, faithful few; just wanted to get a quick pic up, and see if I can't get things rolling again on this here blog. :)
It's 2013--I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around that one. I hope your holidays were full of time well-spent; I'm grateful to say mine were. So much to reflect on, so much to look forward to.
Apparently, I'm all about the little people. (Duh.)
Hope you're having a wonderful holiday weekend!
September 30, 2012
A quick post; it's been bugging me just a tiny bit that my fB posts and my blog posts are not consistent with each other. (You'd think I have bigger things to worry about.) So, for those of you with whom I'm connected on fB, this is old news; for the rest of you--our family's birthday season has started.
{Bring on the cake.}
Eight is great! Our soccer player turned 8 on September 17th.
Here she is, showing off the cool rainbow cake her sissy made for her.
The cool cake Kiana made in celebration of Daniel's 9th year as a thirty-something. :D
Yesterday was my sissy's induction into the Thirtysomethings Hall of Fame; I'm trying to pull a post together for that one, but it just wouldn't be {me} if I'd posted it on the appropriate day. :)
Words don't come easily this evening, but it's been on my mind to update the blog, and so here I are. :)
Our time home on the Big Island was precious, and something I am still unable to write about. We returned home to Washington at the end of July, and have enjoyed sweet days full of sunshine, friends and family, and for myself, a constant, aching awareness of having "one less"--miss you, Mom.
And, now, the easy part:
Finn Turns 4
He happens to be one of our favorites. :)
We Go to the Blackberry Festival
Blackberry Festival on the Bremerton Boardwalk
(Need I mention Kiana took the following 4 awesome shots? Nah-I didn't think so.)
Littlest.
Middlest.
Also the Littlest.
(Well, he used to be; then he turned 3.)
Bossy. I mean, BossMan.
Heading home, waiting in the car for Daddy.
We Eat a Lot of Sweets,
and Hang Out with Uncle Kale
She's at it again--my baker extraordinaire. She has gifted us with brownies,blackberry cobbler, cookie pies, and this "back-to-school!" cake; I assure you, it has all gone to waist. :-9
There are more fun shots from this day, but I am too lazy and/or law-abiding to hijack them from him.
The Girls Pick Blackberries
at Dorothy's Place
Our gracious hostess.
Miki eventually gave up being sneaky about
popping every other blackberry into her mouth.
♥
Happy girl!
SweetTart.
Fresh air, fresh fruit, and a cool old barn--sweet.
(Oh, and some silly geese. :D )
Looking for something? You may find it here. (Then again, you may not.)
Thought for Today
“Your children are not your children. They are sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself. They come through you but not from you. And though they are with you yet they belong not to you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts, For they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies but not their souls, For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams. You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday. You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth. The archer sees the make upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far. Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness. For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He also loves the bow that is stable.”
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
Marianne Williamson, "A Return to Love"
Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant with the weak and the wrong. Sometime in life you will have been all of these.
