monkey bars and fast rides

it feels like some kind of ride, but really it's just life turning out perfectly... these last months have sure felt like a ride. one that i would like to slowly pull into the station sometime soon, just for a short layover if possible.

we've moved to a new place (thus the kid in a box). brought kiley into this world and watched her battle jungle animals. and now, just this last week, jaxon and kiley started at a new daycare and i went back to work.

tuesday was a tough day. my first day back. i cried all the way to work. i thought about turning around, taking one more day of pto. one more day to cuddle with them, feed and change them, complain and cry about their incessent complaining and crying, and love them with all my heart just a little bit more.

but then i reminded myself how much jaxon thrives on interaction with other kids, how excited he was to be playing with friends again. how he lit up when he got home after his first day, telling us all about how he had lunch at his 'other house' and got to play with 'Carly' the dog, and seemed just a little bit older, a little bit more self-aware. and definately way more tired, so i knew i was gonna get some good sleep out of him that night.

kiley, she could care less. she's too little to really know where she's at right now, though it sounds like they have some jungle animals for her to contend with at the daycare too. i'm glad she's with her big brother too. he is so very protective of her, saving her from goblins and other kids and such.

i've been around long enough, not that long, but long enough to know that life is short. recently i've been reminded of this as friends have had sudden tragic deaths in their families and years have gone by in the blip of an eye for others.

tonight jaxon and i were at the park and i thought i saw myself about fifteen years ago. there were a bunch of girls practicing soccer next to the park and there was one girl who reminded me of myself when i was 15 or so. just hangin out, trying to look like she knew what she was doing. wanting the ball, but not really. and i thought, that was me, yesterday. only it was fifteen years ago. okay, 17 years ago. and then i thought, ohmigoshthatsgoingtobejaxonandkileytomorrow! and so we went home and ate ice cream together. and enjoyed the simple things.

feels like a fast ride, but it's just life, turning out perfectly... except for when i hit my head on that monkeybar at the park...

anyway, here's some pics from our recent trip up north with my family...

these cupcakes were a hit. jaxon was asking for cupcakes with numbers on them for dessert days later.

coincidentally, the donuts were also a hit. jaxon thought we could eat the leftovers for dinner on sunday night. not!

not surprisingly, kiley was also a hit, with my mom. seems there was quite the photo shoot going on while i was napping...