Every once in awhile you get someone who waltzes into your life who changes the atmosphere. Uplifts and enlightens. Someone who is already going down the path you have passed but may have forgotten. But this very special person can be a guide for your most special person. That would be our babysitter. I have actually known her since she was a kid! I have watched her grow into a teenager and she is being a shining example for my preteen. WOAH. How odd it is to say that! As my big gets, erm...bigger! She has an opinion about pretty much everything. But this is one of the many things I love about her. It's also why I am thrilled to bits that I learned about a NEW product from Yoplait. Go Big. <---- yup! The makers of Go-Gurt have made a radical new version for my tween and teen in my life!




A great snack for after cheer. Or a toss in for lunch. Made from real fruit and without artificial sweeteners or coloring, yet has just the right amount of sweetness. My girls were ready to flip!

I am in a peak, searching for a valley.

Ever feel that way? As a mom of 4, we have sports and extracurriculars almost every day of the week. Toss in school (and most of our friends are at different schools), church, family life and the fact I work from home...life can start to seem pretty isolating. By the end of the day, I am straight up pooped. The only thing that sounds good to me is sweatpants and hanging my bra up like it's flappin' on a flagpole.

Sitting with one of my nearest and dearest as we watched our babes splash in the water, we were talking about how wonderful it was to spend time together. That we both desperately needed it and how odd it is so many around us are in "seasons" of change. Homes, works, friendships. You name it, I do not know 1 person not going through SOMETHING right now. We were talking about childhood friendships. I told her how envious I am of my childhood friends. I moved away as soon as I graduated. Followed by my parents moving, shortly after I did. So if I visit it's not like going "home". Someone else lives in my house. The flowers are gone and my walls are no longer covered in pictures from magazines. I am the outsider now. Those that stayed are best friends for life...I live a few hundred miles away and although I can visit. The connection has changed and I am that one girl who used to go to school with them but moved far far away. It makes my heart heavy. I am thrilled to bits for them, but sad for me. Sad panda.

You go off to college, you have your best friends who you are INSEPARABLE with. Graduation comes and you go your separate ways. You are still in touch, are in each-others weddings and will always be there for the big moments. But it's changed. You are in serious relationships, some are struggling to find work and others are landing the most incredible jobs and traveling the world. It's incredible. One of you has to be the first to get married and another will be the first to have babies. The wind picks up and the seasons start to change again. Once again these friendships are always going to be there, but everything that was the same will never be again.


Baby comes and your world is filled with extreme joy. Your single friends don't have a clue what to do with you or even can comprehend this odd language you have taken on. I mean, come on. What in the heck is a nonny? You get enough gumption up to attend "baby circles". You form friendships and you feel like you are set. This is it. I have everything I could ever want and more. Toddlers form in the place of chubby bodies and you can feel a slight breeze. Change is once again on the horizon. You attend each other's birthday parties. Still do dress up and pop in when you can but your world is in preparation for more. Then those you are closest with, move away. Your heart aches. You mourn and you feel like a lost sheep.

You get comfortable in your surroundings, meet new people and then something catastrophic to you happens. In my case I had major surgery. I spent many nights in mourning. Isolated from being able to tell others how I truly felt. The pain, the loss, the heartache. You notice those that step forward and are there for you. Those that send text messages, make phone calls or even send private messages. Friends that drop by with flowers and cookies or even bring your favorite coffee and sit by your side as you cry. As you laugh, as you share your heart with them. THESE moments are eye opening. Those you expected to be there, are not. Those you least expected, are. You are eternally grateful and cannot ever repay them enough for what they did for you.

OK now you can't laugh too hard at me when I tell you that I was an emotional mess for...eh...about a week when I got an email from one of Emily Grace's friends at school's mommy. I know. An email right?! Just kidding! She was inviting EG to come to their house after school last Friday. She would pick both girls up and bring them to her house! I was SO excited for her. But at the same time it made me want to cry! This was the first play date. Alone. At a friend of HER'S not in our circle of friends! I mean come on...the girl has had her fair share of play dates if you know what I mean! But THIS was that moment as a mom that I didn't really fully think about how BIG it was for....ME! Jut a few years ago this was her:

A vibrantly feisty wee little girl! She is my precious angel! She is my "do-gooder". The first one to help. The first one to OFFER to help! She is my little best friend! And in a matter of months she went from this cute little curly haired toddler to a little...girl.



She is growing up so fast! I don't know if my heart can handle it! Before I would say yes to the play date I did have some questions for the family. Now the family aren't COMPLETE strangers as they DO attend EG's preschool and I have worked side by side with her mom on a few events for the school. We talk in the carpool lane and she is a mom of 3 girls and the oldest is 16! So she KNOWS what this moment is like (although she is now onto the driving moments and the boyfriend moments...don't even get me started!) My number one question for her was:

1. Do you have any guns in the house?
2. If yes, how do you store them?

That was THE one thing that worried me the most! I was installing her car seat into their minivan so I knew that she was safe there. EG knows how to clip herself into the seat so I knew she would be tight enough and the harness would in the correct spots (I am very type A when it comes to the car seats with my kids! And yes...she is still in a 5 point harness car seat at age 5!)

I went to Thurston High School (Graduated somewhere else) and we had the tragic "Thurston Shooting". Since then my number one fear are those parents that do not store their guns properly. I was raised a farm girl. My parents are avid hunters. But I was raised with knowledge on gun safety. I am not a gun girl! BUT the thing is there are so many people out there that have guns, we may not even realize it AND they don't keep them in a special gun case cabinet LOCKED where children cannot get to them. Can we say scary?! Thankfully they do not nor will not own guns! The few nights before the play date I discussed with EG again about how "we do not keep secrets". If someone were to ask her to keep a secret...sorry but she is telling me! We also discussed our nether-regions and about how they are HER private areas and no one is allowed to touch her there. All these things that I pray never happens to my child (nor any other child) but I want her to be aware in case something ever did happen. It is so sad that there is so much we have to fear and prepare our children for...I wish it wasn't that way!

The morning of we prayed in the car as we do every morning. I kissed her and she told me "mommy...don't cry!" She let me take her picture:


And all I could think was "WOW...you are about to fly little birdy." She has my heart. She is my world. She is the first to hear my heart from the inside. She knows my inner being. I love her with every breath and beat of my heart. She will always be my baby.

We arrived at school and her friend ran out of the classroom and was jumping up and down with excitement waiting for her! The girls screeched with glee and this mama did her best to hold back the tears. Of course that never works! They were not tears of sadness they were tears of joy!

They had a wonderful play date. Ate popcorn, played dress up, had lunch, watched princess sing-alongs, made crafts. And when she arrived at home she was on cloud 9! Which made me even happier for her! Maybe the next time will be a little bit easier? Man, I sure hope so!