For some friends I had gobs and gobs of pictures. For other friends we had to arrange times to take a picture. But I got it done and ordered it the night before we moved.

I couldn’t think of a more creative title. My creativity left for a few weeks there in the middle of packing.

(Ignore the little animals. I don’t have permission from my friends to have their kids’ full names and pictures placed on the internet.)
I put pictures of her friends and then a little blurp telling how old they are, how we met them, what they played together, etc.

We included her grown-up friends, too. Because she’s only three, a lot of her friends are family friends.

Doctors even made the cut in our friend book! Baby Girl enjoyed going to the doctor, so I couldn’t forget them. Besides, Buddy’s chiropractor did so much for him. I couldn’t leave her out!

I hope Baby Girl and even Buddy enjoy looking at this in the next few weeks and months. I know I will enjoy it and the memories it will bring!

Motherhood is tough. The days are long. At bedtime I give kisses and then plop into a chair with my feet up. I’m exhausted at the end of each day! It’s not just physically tiring, though. Most days I am emotionally and cognitively drained, too. Each day in my house you can hear “why”, “no”, and “mama” at least a million times. And those words could come from any one of us.

Yes. Motherhood can be hard. But it’s also the greatest job I’ve ever had. I loved teaching! I was so sad to give it up, but now when offered the chanced to go back to work (usually after telling my man, “I can’t do this anymore!”) I immediately choose staying home. I can’t imagine another job. This is what I want to do. I am privileged to be a mama to these kids. There may be hard times, but at the end of the day I remember the sweet memories. I smile at the memory of Baby Girl proudly handing me the special necklace she made for me at church or of Buddy giving me hugs and slobbery kisses.

So, today, when the country celebrates mothers, I want to focus on how blessed I am to be a mom. I am thankful that God has entrusted these babies to me. I want them always to be little, but I also can’t wait to see the people they become!

However, the sun is shining, and I think it’s 10 degrees warmer here than it is in Vermont. I’m done packing. I can rest now, without my mind racing with things to be done. I don’t have anything to do. Just take care of my kids and spend time with my parents. I think I can handle that.

Emotionally I’m doing okay. Physically I’m exhausted! Last night I slept from 10 til 5 without waking! I have no idea if Buddy cried (I’m going to guess that he did). Maybe this physical exhaustion will lead to him sleeping through the night. If that’s the case, then Yay for coma-like exhaustion-induced sleep!

Packing the truck went incredibly smoothly! We had several guys from church help. They had everything loaded quickly! Then it was just a matter of packing it so that we paid the least we could (we paid per foot). The men impressed me! It was like a giant game of tetris. Meanwhile, some friends cleaned the house for me. I kept saying “thank you”, but those words just don’t express how much I appreciated all the help. By Thursday night I was ready to roll into a ball and cry until I slept. I truly couldn’t have done it without the help. I have some pictures, but they are on my parents’ camera. I’ll work on getting them loaded eventually. Right now I’m going to catch a short nap before Buddy wakes up.

Sorry if this was disjointed and wordy. I haven’t been this tired in A LONG TIME! Considering I haven’t slept well since Buddy’s birth, that’s saying something. So please forgive me….

You want to help me so much. I appreciate it. However, some things are better for Mamas to do. Like packing. You wanted to spend quiet time in your room today. Usually you’re asking if you can have it in the living room. That should’ve tipped me off. You couldn’t wait to show me what you did. Of course, you locked your door on your way out, so I had to unlock the door before I could see your accomplishment.

You emptied all of your drawers because you “wanted to take all these clothes to Texas!” I know you wanted to help. I appreciate your sweet spirit. However, Mama had already packed those drawers. I put your hanging clothes in them and they were almost ready to be put on the truck.
I’m not upset at you. You were helping. But boy, I’m tired. And packing things twice makes me more tired.

While you were working on that, I was packing up the kitchen. Buddy was doing his own work:

Yes, you two help me so much!

Thanks, Baby Girl! I love you! Please stay sweet. Please stay generous with your time and your love.

Now, no more packing for you!

Love,

Mama

Yesterday afternoon my man threw a surprise birthday party for me. My friend invited me to have a picnic with her and her son. When we showed up I felt incredibly blessed and loved. So many friends showed up. I know weekends are busy. My friends have Little League, work, new babies, etc, but they showed up to celebrate with me. So special! Since I won’t be here when I turn the big 3-0, my man wanted to give me a chance to celebrate with my friends in Vermont. What a sweet guy!

This afternoon my little family went downtown to see the lake and mountains, to experience this gorgeous place one last time. We enjoyed it so much! We bought supper and ate it overlooking the lake. After dinner we got creemees (for you non-locals, it’s just a soft-serve), which will probably be our last for quite a while. I got a maple/raspberry swirl creemee. It might sound gross, but seriously, it’s so amazing! I am fairly certain those aren’t in high demand in Texas.

We move Friday. Friday, folks! How did this come so quickly? I think I’d be more okay with moving if we were heading to Texas as a family. Instead, my man goes to Texas and starts work. He’ll deal with the house stuff, too. Once we close, the kids and I will join him. It will be at least three weeks, maybe more. Boy, I’m gonna miss him! I know the kids will miss him, too. We’ll spend the time with my parents. I’m looking forward to being with them, watching my kids interact with them. But I can’t wait to settle into our new house, get to know our new area, and be together as a family.

So thankful for this weekend with my family. So thankful for the beautiful weather. Now a few pictures, then I need to cut my man’s hair, do some packing, and go to bed!