Well, it took me awhile to get into my account tonight. It's like if you haven't been on blogger for six months they try to kick you out or something. It's not the first time I've sat down to write since July, it's just that other things seem to always come up or get in the way, either in my thoughts or in real life. So this weekend I made it a goal to finish a post. I know I won't catch up and do the last six months justice by any means, but wanted to share and capture these photos and hopefully I can keep up again. No promises.
This collage is from one of our last summer memories. We went to Cedar Lake Camp in Canada at the end of August. How to describe it... it sure brought back a lot of memories that's for sure. And reminded me that you can't necessarily recreate memories and moments of joy that you remember from the past. You really have to make new memories, set new expectations, and enjoy each new moment as something completely different. It's not fair to compare one year at Cedar, for example, to this year. They're each their own memories, with different circumstances, different things going on in life.
No, it didn't totally suck. But, it was a different experience this year. The kids were older, which we thought might be a good thing. But it also meant they felt a new kind of confidence, rarely afraid of anything, which terrifies the hell out of me as a mother. I almost prefer to have to hold their hand and be there all the time- I'm still getting used to letting Jaxon go across the street on his own to be with his friends without me. It's hard to let go...
It also meant Kiley was more mobile this year at Cedar. The last time we were there with her, she was just barely learning to walk. Which meant we could cage her in her pack and play and work on jewelry or relax a bit. Not so much this time. She got a bug bite the first night we were there and her eye was swollen shut for a few days. Then a couple more bites on her arm that had me ready to go to the nearest community clinic. Neither really stopped her. She floated from making her own jewelry designs to making glitter glue pictures to coloring and painting and giving out stamps and stickers to anyone who did a good job. Girl kept us busy.
All in all though, it was a good trip. Looking back on this year, I'll remember the homemade ice cream, sno cones, fishing with Scott and my dad in the evenings, watching Jaxon be the 'net guy', the scavenger hunt that Zoe put together, guessing jelly beans, campfires with S'mores, and of course, watching Frozen and singing 'Let it Go'. I'll also remember the border crossing and barely getting Zoe into Canada without getting searched and our trip home when Jaxon barfed while I held a zip loc baggie for him and then tossed it into the pristine wilderness. Yeah, you just can't compare year to year... that is for sure.
What else has been keeping us so busy? Pretty much just these two kids- they make my world go around, they drive me crazy, and then they light up my day.
Kiley is now in dance and gymnastics and thinks she's just a little princess. (the way I treat her has nothing to do with that I'm sure!). It's pretty fun watching her these days. She's changed so much from just a year ago. She is really developing into her own person. And she honestly couldn't be any cuter. Which is a problem!
And Jaxon started 1st grade and flag football this year. He could not stop talking about it all summer. Every day, even now, he wakes up and wants to watch ESPN NFL Morning show. He can tell you which teams certain players are on. He knows all their logos-if you say a city he could probably tell you the team that plays there. I love it and it yet it is scary all at the same time. I'd much rather he play a non-contact sport, but I'm hoping it's just a phase and he develops a love for golf or tennis before he has to start tackling!
More catching up later... hopefully before 2015!
