Reflections
As Hannah gets older and approaches the “tween” years, I find myself reflecting on when she was Livie’s age and that leads to me really REALLY trying to memorize every last detail of Livie’s life right now because I know with age will come that terrible tween years.
I’m not looking forward to it.
The tween years are coming and they’re stealing my baby girl. I barely can remember when Hannah was sweet and cute and funny like Livie is now. Instead I get “I don’t wanna talk about school” Hannah or “Don’t talk to me” Hannah or my favorite “You’re SO mean and you understand NOTHING MOM!!!” Hannah. It’s a rocky road here lately…it has been for a couple years now but everyone tells me this is the worst age and she’ll get better.
I pray so. I miss my little girl.
Some days, though, there’s a glimmer of her. Like the other night when she asked if she could help me make dinner.
And when she offered to read a bedtime story to Livie.
When the sweet, old Hannah comes out I do have that glimmer of hope that this moody age will pass soon and she’ll be back to her old self. Or at least a more mature version of herself.
So I spent a lot of the week focusing on Livie and really sucking in the age she is now. Everything we’re doing this season for Fall or Halloween we did last year but since she was only 1 last year she’s forgotten it all. When we lit the fireplace she was in awe. When I showed her her Halloween costume she had to have it on RIGHT. THIS. SECOND. That’s why I waited to show it to her til she could wear it to school on Thursday for her party.
Makes me so excited for Monday and trick or treating. It’ll be like the first time for her even though she went last year and she’s so vocal now. I can’t wait to hear what she says about it.
Speaking of appreciating her age right now, the little man I nanny is 6 months old already. I got him when he was 2 months old. He’s growing and changing so fast and before I know it, he’ll be her age and she’ll be 4. When I think about that, I want to freeze time for just a little bit.
More coming next week on all our Halloween festivities this weekend. Hope yours is fab.
Caught Fall
Here in Texas when fall comes it’s more like what late spring or late summer feels like up north. When the temps dip under 75 degrees we all freak out because it’s “chilly” and we love it.
A cold front blew in yesterday. Monday it was 90 degrees. Today? 70. My first thought? We gotta pick out pumpkins! Hannah decided she’s too old for that and so Liv and I went on our own to the makeshift aka fake pumpkin patch at the nearby church. I won’t even get into how I miss Ohio falls and real pumpkin patches everywhere and HELLO, the metroparks. Google it if you don’t live in Ohio. All I need is some Ohio fall leaves sent to me and I’d be golden.
As soon as we walked in she said “OOOH, I LOVE pumpkins!” and I think back to last year when she didn’t even know or really care what they were. She’s changed so much in a year.
She was so happy when she found one she could actually lift.
She’s got her pumpkin and she’s a happy girl.
Other happenings:
More backyard time
Happy car rides
And happy evenings just me and her while Dad works and Sister stays the night with Nana.
Can’t believe it’s already Wednesday. Happy midweek!
Loving my boots
Hannah had another competition this weekend. Before it started I said to The Man’s step dad ” Never in my life did I picture I’d be doing this right now. If I told the 15 year old me that one day I’d be living in Texas wearing cowboy boots and watching my daughter ride in rodeos I’d laugh and say yeah right, Texas? PFT!”
Now look at us.
Hannah’s riding a new horse again. She’s on Fancy now…we’re trying to figure out the best horse for her that’s fast that she can win on and yet she feels comfortable on. We’ve decided Fancy will probably be it so she raced her Saturday afternoon in the perfect 85 degree sunny weather.
I was super excited to get this shot of her clearing the barrel. Usually it’s blurry or too fast but Saturday I finally got it.
Twice.
She gets so excited to watch Hannah ride and be around the horses. When we pulled in she yelled “YAHOOOOOOOO! HORSES!!!!”
I thought both of my girls would be dancers. Instead they’ll be cowgirls.
I love it. I’ve become accustomed to that kind of life. Sure, I still come home and put on my heels and dress shorts and I enjoy a good song by The Black Keys or Lilly Allen or heck, Britney Spears. But there’s something about competition days when we get up early and rush out of the door throwing our cowboy boots on and packing coolers with water and snacks because we know we’ll be at the arena all day. The sounds of the announcer calling my baby’s name as she bolts out of the gate and tries to get her fastest time yet is something I live for. I never EVER thought this would be my life…the rodeo and the horse racing and the boots. I’ve embraced it and y’all? The country living? Ain’t too shoddy. Not at all. I get it now. And? I adore my boots.
After that winner of a Saturday yesterday we kept it low key. We went to church. We planted ourselves on the couch for a day of football.
I love football. (GO TEXANS!) I love a good Bud Light Lime while watching the game too. They go hand in hand. Livie feels as though a good cup of Blue Bell goes with football. I tend to agree.
A quick soccer game during halftime? Why not.
And dancing when you’re bored of watching football, even when your parents aren’t.
Have a good Monday. Don’t forget to dance.
More to come
Has it really been a month since I’ve posted. Who the heck am I? To think that I went from daily blogging to 3 times a week to once a week to ONCE A MONTH?!!
And would you believe it if I told you that I’ve so royally slacked on taking pictures? I take a few on my phone a week but the last time I’ve picked up my real camera to take pictures? Hannah’s comp a few weeks ago. And before that? Couldn’t tell ya.
I WILL say that all of this slacking is due to life living. Staying home has changed my life so much…so many little things that have culminated into one big giant change of life. I’m home more so I have more time to take pictures but I don’t. We probably do more but I don’t take pictures. I’m busier so I don’t blog as much. I certainly don’t have time to read blogs. So many things I did while sitting at a desk at work that now? Just have fallen by the wayside.
Some of this I’m ok with. Others, I’m not. I miss my camera. I miss editing photos. I miss blogging. I’m hoping I can get back into the swing of things soon…you know I’ve been struggling with this for months now.
So this is kind of an introductory post back into what I hope is regular blogging. And yes, some pictures. If you read this blog in a reader, open it up because my Halloween theme that Jenn made me is so bad ass and for the past 2 years I’ve loved it tons!
She has no fear. She rides that horse like it’s the last time she’ll get on him. Amazes me. And little sister watches because Hannah’s kind of her hero when it comes to riding.
We’ve finally gotten some cooler nights and we love to spend them in the back yard.
And? I went to Vegas. Yes, I sure did.
To say I had a fabulous time would be an understatement.
Here’s to a happy weekend and a hopeful return to blogging.
Halloween is coming. More to come soon.
Fall
Along with the seasonal and yearly changes, I guess I changed too. I used to have a hunger to want to blog constantly and lately here posts have been few and far between. So, I’ve decided to just blog when I have something to say like many of you do. It doesn’t have to be consistent or on a schedule. I will write when I feel like the words I say have some meaning and not just because it’s been a few days and I haven’t. Not that it was ever like that but lately I just haven’t had anything to really put out there. I’m friends with so many of you on Twitter or Facebook so I don’t feel disconnected like I thought I would if I didn’t blog a few times a week.
With that said, it’s fall. Now, I realize that fall doesn’t officially start til the end of this month but I don’t care. I love fall here. The weather finally has broken. It’s in the high 80s and low 90s during the day instead of the 102 it was for WEEKS daily. The humidity is gone. We’re able to be outside without sweating. We don’t need jackets or sweaters…I love it. We pick pumpkins in tank tops and shorts and we take hayrides with sunglasses on and flip flops. It’s a Texas fall and I couldn’t ask for anything more.
Well except for the leaves changing colors. I do miss that about Ohio.
So what have we been up to? Well Livie started Mother’s Day Out twice a week. The Man’s mom teaches the class so I thought she’d be fine and have fun.
Wrong.
She cries all day. She’s so nervous and just not in her comfort zone no matter who is around so we’re not sure if she’ll make it or be a preschool drop out. Either way, she looked really cute on her first day.
Hannah won her first belt buckle for her riding comps this summer. We’re so proud.
At her lesson after that her teacher decided to move her up to a bigger horse. She’s so excited about that. So are we.
And last weekend The Man and I took a trip to New Orleans for an early 10 year anniversary celebration just us two. What we didn’t know when we planned this weeks ago was that a massive tropical storm named Lee would be making landfall the day we got there. It rained the whole weekend but we made the best of it. We got out when it wasn’t too bad and took cabs and stayed inside when it did.
It may not look like fall outside or even feel like it to most people, but to me it’s here. And if you read this blog in a reader, you’ll have to check out my actual page because it’s fall on my blog too.
Happy September and lots of browns and oranges and hopefully changing leaves to you.
Marked changes
I consider yearly changes based on two big events: New Years Day because I feel like a new year is a new start. Cheesy yes, but it excites me every year. The start of the new school year is the other. It’s no secret that Hannah struggled last year til the end of the year and we butted heads a lot. I dreaded school starting this year because I didn’t want to face THAT change. The change of fun, summer Hannah to I-hate-school Hannah.
It’s not pleasant.
So we spent our last week of summer vacation last week doing what we wanted to do.
We played outside when the temp dropped to the lower 90s and it was bareable.
Hannah played with the animals at her riding instructor’s farm.
We swam for the last week day of the summer.
I cuddled the little baby I nanny a little more because he’s already growing up too fast.
I snuggled my other baby who too is growing up too fast and is going to start preschool twice a week next month at our church.
We broke all kinds of weather records too because as I’ve said many times already about this summer…IT’S TOO DAMN HOT! 34 days so far 100 degrees or more this summer and something like 23 or so of them consecutively. So pretty much we are melting.
And then yesterday, the big change came. Hannah’s first day of school.
I can’t even talk about the fact that I now have a 3rd grader. I also can’t talk about the fact that she begged me to ride the bus and doesn’t want me to wait for her at the bus stop because she’s big enough to walk half a block home by herself.
Notice I didn’t listen.
And one other change? Social media time. I’ve decided to unplug a little bit more. I started with blogs because those required me to be online to read them because I hate reading blogs on my phone. Getting on an actual computer is a lot harder now that I’m not working so I’ve only been reading blogs maybe 1 day a week versus the 5 days a week I used to before. The next step was Facebook which I’ve also gradually worked into. I don’t check it all day long like I used to. I set aside maybe 20 minutes total a day to check and update Facebook. The next was Twitter and within the past week I’ve also set aside maybe an hour total a day to Twitter versus the 4-5 a day I used to before. Life is changing. Things are busier. I’ve started to be bothered by The Man’s glares as I sat on my phone all evening when I hadn’t see him all day. It started to bug me when I was with family and I was preoccupied with checking my social media outlets instead of having actual conversation with the people around me. It’s all about balance and I’m learning slowly but surely how to do that. I will never disconnect completely. Y’all have been my lifeline when I had no one else who could understand and for that I’m grateful. But I can’t forget the people that are right in front of my face that are here for me too. I THINK I mastered the art of full time worker and full time mother pretty well when I worked and now that I’m not working…well that’s even more of an opportunity to be present instead of buried in my phone and computer.
I’m not going anywhere. I’m still going to blog but maybe once a week instead of 3 days a week. You know where to find me Twitter/FB/Instagram wise and my Flickr link is on the side of this blog if you’re need a picture fix because I’m still taking plenty of those.
So for now, enjoying the first few days of back to school before the homework picks up and the craziness of the school year really begins.
Have a good week.
Chilling
What happens when you have a busy week of little tasks here and there and a surprise visit from a cousin from Ohio? Normally that’d be a photo explosion for me but instead, I went the other way with it.
Normally for me, I take photos during the hum drum AND the big times. We had both this week and yet all I did was snap a few phone photos and called it a day. I go through these phases every now and then when the thought of picking up my camera and taking pictures just seems like too much and instead I’d rather just enjoy the conversation or take mental pictures of my girls playing with their horses together while laughing. That’s what this week was for me. I woke up this morning though and that felt odd. Everyone needs a break sometimes and I guess I took one last week. We laid around. We watched TV. We swam. And on Friday my cousin who was here to visit someone else asked if I lived close by. An hour away? No problem! So I picked her up and brought her to my house.
I never have my family down here. My sisters have been a couple times years ago but no one else. I was so excited to show her my house and have my girls play with her. They loved her.
And I loved having her here. She was only able to stay for the day but we made the most of our day…catching up on family gossip, laughing at old memories, margaritas at dinner with endless chips and salsa. It was a good day with her.
And other little things that I did take pictures of? My baby trees dying of thirst. I have to water these trees twice a day. It’s so hot here and it never rains and we’re in a extreme drought situation. So my water bill sucks but my trees are surviving. I’ve never cared about plants or flowers or having a garden but OH EM GEE I’m obsessed with my trees.
That’s about it. Family…watering…lounging. That was our week. It was a good week. Looking forward to doing it all again this week.
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