A Season of Rediscovery

C and L

Life with two children is full.  It is everything to the tenth degree.  There is so much love, so much learning, so much stress, so much joy, so much laughter, so much creativity, so many messes, so many tears, so much of everything…except for sleep.

A few weeks ago I realized it had been 10 months since I had posted anything, and that last post was the birth announcement of our daughter.  It’s going great, and I have no apologies for being offline for so long.  This is honestly the first time I’ve had a spare moment to sit down and write.  Usually by the time I get logged on, do any needed updates, clear out spam, and reply to emails, I’m either ready to go to bed or the girls need something.  I figure I’ll have all of the time in the world to blog soon enough, but I only have so many days when my kids NEED me or just want to play and cuddle.

The days are busy and time is flying by.  L is already 3 years old and just started preschool two mornings a week.  C is almost 1.  She’s cruising around and climbing on everything.  Soon I’ll turn around and she’ll be walking across the room like it’s no big deal.  Both girls love being outdoors which is wonderful, and challenging.  I love the outdoors as well, but when the weather is not cooperating, or I’m just exhausted, hearing a toddler ask every 5 minutes to go to the playground can wear on a person.  We have to get pretty creative around here sometimes to keep the little ones occupied; but that’s part of what I enjoy.  Thankfully we’ve had lots of opportunities to go to fun places around the area, and this summer we took a month long vacation to Nebraska to see our families.

L making friends with the locals

Yes, I bought these boots. Yes, I have yet to wear them in New Jersey

Evening walks with Grandpa

L loved Nebraska and especially the wide-open country.  There was so much to see and do; tractors, animals, crops, space to just RUN! It’s great to see a kid uninhibited, just living and loving life.  In addition to all of the fun on the farm, new adventures and activities, we actually got some quality family time.  Getting there was just the start of the adventure.  When weighing the pros and cons, price, husband’s vacation time, etc. we decided to drive it…yes, you read that right, we drove 1700 miles in a minivan with 2 little kids.  And honestly it wasn’t that bad.  The girls did great.  We saw lots of fun things and beautiful country.  It took about 3.5 days; next time I’ll have to share the journey with you all, posting pictures along the way.  My mother was gracious enough to fly out here, help us get packed up, and us ladies hit the road.  My husband couldn’t get off that much time all in one go, so he flew out later, and then he drove back with us.  It actually went so well, I would definitely do it again.

Since I first started this blog almost 4 years ago, I have changed a lot, especially now that I’m a mother.  That alone will completely revamp your life and every perception you’ve ever held to be true.  Most days it feels like I have the joy of seeing how my girls have blossomed overnight; what are their new interests, new talents, new likes and dislikes. And in some ways I feel the same is true for me.

Discovering with cousins at the zoo

As with most busy moms, I think we have the tendency to put ourselves last; and every now and again when we come up for air, we have to try to rediscover ourselves. “What kind of music do I even like? That new Veggie Tales song L’s hung up on is pretty bearable.” I’d like to have my music stream suggest something other than Top Toddler Tunes.  Same goes for my Netflix.  If I ever found the time to watch a movie I have on my list I’m sure the site would think I had been hacked; get one of those security emails stating that they detected suspicious activity and I need to verify it’s actually me.

But I love it, everything from randomly finding Legos in the bathroom to getting to make ladybug costumes with my girls.  I can’t imagine life any other way at this point.  I’m not promising I’ll be posting on any sort of a regular basis again, but I am excited to continue this journey and see how the site evolves as I change and grow and flourish.  I think I need to read back through my own Top Five posts to give me a place to start remembering all of the things I love.  It’s time to quit treading water and start enjoying the voyage as we set out into a new season.

Photo Credit: My awesome mom, Lou Ann Wineman

First day of preschool

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