Birthdays and Bittersweet Days

::Sigh::  My little girl had her first day of college this week.  She's adapting beautifully, as I knew she would, and I doubt college will cause her any more worry than high school did.  She's just awesome like that, she figures out what's necessary and just makes it happen. Her 18th birthday was yesterday and the day wasn't as joyful for me as it was for her.

After I got the kids off to school and the Hub left for work, I sat on the couch and I cried.  You know the kind, just weepy, sorry-for-yourself crying.  I was thinking about how many days in my mothering career had been like this...Days you look forward to and then, when they arrive, there's a tinge of sorrow that something is lost:  The future is exciting, but the past was precious and it's gone.  The first step, which was just the first one into the world and away from Mom.  The first day of Kindergarten, when she dismissed me with a sweet, "See you later, Mom." And I went in the hall and cried because she didn't.  The day she got on the bus and went to the same High School where I went and my father went before me. And I was so proud of her calm assurance and terrified of the years ahead, which turned out to be a breeze with her. (May they be as trouble-free for her siblings.) The day she got her driver's license, which I held off for months because I just wasn't ready to turn her loose on the world. That night she didn't just walk away from me, she flew. And I prayed every time she left the house, and twice if someone else was driving.  Prom, when she looked so beautiful I could hardly believe she was trusted to me. And I could barely breathe as I watched that boy help her tuck her dress into the car so they could close the door.  Graduation, when I could hardly contain how pleased and proud I was of her, and I knew that my days with her were numbered.  She will leave soon, and she won't be calling to tell me when she's coming home.

And, yesterday, her 18th Birthday. 18. I can't believe it when I hear it, it sounds so foreign.  It was just a few days ago that I held that colicky, screaming baby and bawled because it was going to be FIVE YEARS before she went to school, and in a blink I was watching her get on the school bus.  I keep thinking about all the games I was too busy to play and how much I would like to be able to kiss those chubby baby fingers clutching a bouquet of weedy flowers for me one more time.

 I looked at her best friends and her boyfriend standing around the table and what a great group they are! Good, sweet, smart kids.  Positive and going places.  I watched as they saved cake for the one who had to work and the one who has gone far enough away to college that she couldn't be here to blow out candles.

I love them all. I've watched them all grow up.  I'm proud of every one of them and so grateful to them for taking care of my baby, because we all know our high school friends nurture us a lot like a second family. They're a pretty awesome group.

So, I guess I have a few bittersweet days with her to get through yet: another graduation, the day she moves away from home, the day she marries, the day she gives me a grandchild.  Then I can start over with a new little life.  May I do a better job as Grammy than I have as Mommy.

August 2010 DSO Color Challenge

I LOVE the colors for this month's challenge...so fresh and crisp. They make me think of summer.  Here's the preview for my kit with the download link beneath. Enjoy!
See the rest of the fantastic entries at DSO.

4shared:     Part1     Part2     Part3     Part4

MediaFire:     Part1     Part2      Part3     Part4

See the rest of the fantastic entries at DSO.

Ice Cream and New Bikes

Today was a typical Sunday. For some reason, Sunday is always a free-for-all at my house.  We got up late for church, which actually isn't so unusual, but we had a friend staying all night so I had to get creative in my hurry up incentives instead of just relying on screaming like I usually do, LoL.

After church we usually go to lunch, and today the hub decided he'd like to eat at a very nice local Mexican restaurant, so that's where we went.  Anyone who eats out with me very often knows I tend to have one dish in every restaurant that I order every time I'm there. Consequently, I hate it when they change their menu. (I'm stilled really ticked off that Red Lobster removed Aztec Chicken from their menu and won't go in there. That'll show 'em.) I don't know what made me decide to alter from my nice safe choice of #28, but I chose to live dangerously and forge a new culinary path today. Since I ate three pieces of coffee cake in Sunday School (gasp), I thought I would have a salad and eat a little lighter, so I ordered a taco salad.  Wow. It came out and it had taco meat and beans in the bottom swimming in melted cheese, sour cream and guacamole, steamy hot and topped with a handful of lettuce. Needless to say, it was NOT what I expected. I picked through and ate the lettuce and the pastry bowl (which was awesome, I should say) and a little of the meat and beans.  I have paid for it all day, too! It just goes to show ya that ordering the safe stuff you're familiar with is the best course of action!

Then I took a nap (love me a Sunday afternoon nap!) It's just a good way to start the week :) Unfortunately, my family is making choices while I'm sleeping.  So when I woke up, I found out that my 12-year-old had another friend spending the night tonight, even though she has a sports physical scheduled for 8 a.m.  Also, every one has decided they want to attend the church ice cream social (!) tonight, but maybe we won't get ice cream there. We'll stop and get ice cream at our fav place and then go socialize a bit. Well, you know what happened. Ice cream TWICE. Now, I love ice cream, it's like my favorite food ever. So I'm not really complaining about that. :)

Good thing I had me a nap, because I need the extra energy to digest all these calories! Sheesh.

Right now, the girls are out riding bikes, so I have a little peace. Child four got a new bike yesterday, which totally goes against what I told her. I told her we weren't buying her a new bike because she didn't take care of the old one and left it lay in the yard so much it practically rusted to the sidewalk. She hasn't complained, even though she's way outgrown this one, until last week when the chain popped off (for the third time) and locked up the gears and she flew off and boogered up her knee pretty good. It was the first day of cheer leading practice, too! She knelt in the grass like a trooper at practice, though. So, she got a new bike. I guess eventually she had to get a new one anyway.

So, finally, here's my layout of our cabin in Wisconsin. I took these in June while we were there with the family. It was just before sunset ( I LOVE that time for pics) and I took some shots, went down to the dock for a few minutes, then took some more. It was cool to see the change in lighting just maybe two minutes made. The first pictures were good, but the second set was awesome. The light was golden and the greens of the trees and grass were really popping. Gotta love that "magic minute!"

Layout for Digiscrapbook Mania's July 2010 Template Challenge

Template by Miss Mis Designs

Kit: The Great Outdoors blog train.