Sunday, May 31, 2015

SIXTEEN

I've put this off...
SIXTEEN makes me sad. It is an age of independence, as we hand our children a card, give them the keys, and for the first time ever, entrust them with their own lives....well, sixteen and a half, anyway. It is an age where I will blink my eyes and my child will be an adult...or so that's what they think happens in 2 years. An age that is to be celebrated...and will be at his party next weekend. It's a big deal.

Honestly, it's so strange to me. Here is my baby, SIXTEEN years old, still my baby that I couldn't imagine anything ever happening to. But, there I was at this age, pregnant with him. Strange and scary....as we hope every single day he will make responsible choices. We have already had our fair share of situations that he should have handled differently. Go figure, he's not the perfect model teen!! We have these high expectations for our children....don't make the same mistake I did, go far in life, reach for the stars, you are the company you keep, look presentable while expressing yourself, blah, blah, blah. But, in reality, we are all here to make mistakes, learn from them, and be the best person we can be. After traveling down this teenage road with my son, I understand that. He WILL make mistakes, he WILL fall, and WE will be there to catch him. I hope he knows that. Even if we are upset with him, there are open arms for him to fall back on.

My son has been through a lot in his sixteen years. More than I wish he had. There are times that I wish he had the same opportunity as our children now.... Two parents in a loving relationship, a stable home, never having to see his mother struggle to put food on the table, never seeing the toll an abusive man can take on a woman. But, then he wouldn't be the guy he is today. Even if it isn't obvious, the boy really is thoughtful and appreciative....he worries about my feelings often, this is no surprise given our history.

Joshua. Most think of his quiet nature first and that makes me laugh because he's anything but quiet.
He really does make me laugh. I know I post funny, annoying things about him often, but the boy really does bring a smile to my face. He's an open book....he tells me about his day, the good and bad, things other people did, things that make me cringe!, every single day he walks in the door. Sometimes he talks SO much, I wonder if he will stop...but I quickly put that thought aside and keep listening because I'm glad he talks to me. Those that think he's so quiet, should be here when he gets home from school. He's always looking to make me proud, as he tells me about a test he tried hard on or about his baseball practice. He's so concerned with others and their feelings....definitely not the way they perceive him though because he could care less about that. He obsessively works out and tries to eat healthy...I'm quite sure I passed this not so great habit onto him. Loves being great at baseball, rapping, skateboarding, playing video games, youtube channels, and snap chatting his girlfriend.
Most importantly, he is absolutely amazing with the kids. He is a babysitter, a playmate, a role model (I have to remind him of this role often), a big brother that loves them dearly. It is so nice to know that I can leave the kids with him while I run to the store, and not have to worry. Hellllooooo summertime, built in set of hands!!! He says he doesn't want kids though...I think these siblings of his have scared him in the right direction until at least 30 years old. HAHA.


This boy has my heart and makes me so proud. I really hope that he grows up to be the absolutely amazing man I know he can be because the world needs more of them!

I can't believe we'll actually be celebrating next weekend and I'll have to fully admit he's SIXTEEN.
















 

 
 
Alright, there will be SO many picture I'm digging up at his birthday party!

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Blooper Reel

I take pictures.....like ALL the damn time. During breakfast. At the park. When the kids are coloring. Playing sports. Swimming. Doing something silly. Smiling. Yawning. Sleeping. Wrestling. Hugging. Cuddling. Special Occasions. Days when we don't even get out of our pjs. I'm ALWAYS taking pictures. With the technology we all possess in the palm of our hands, why not? Why not capture a moment in time, a very brief moment in childhood, that can be cherished forever?

There seems to be this misconception that pictures must be taken to upload to social media immediately in order for the world to see our fun. Do I upload to social media? SURE! Some are very glad I do upload pictures almost daily...since we live far away. THAT is the wonderful thing about the whole social network, people can see your children every day. I LOVE to share our babies....I LOVE to share their beautiful faces...I LOVE to show our beautiful children off. But, that is not the reason I take a billion pictures...errrr, 4,711 that are on my phone at this moment to be exact. Those 4,711 pictures are for me. My life is hectic, SO, SO hectic. I WISH I could capture just how hectic...the pictures do not do the chaos justice. I probably look ridiculous when I'm out, holding 2 kids' hands, babywearing, Joseph has food all over his face, and I stop, phone in hand, to take a picture. But, I really don't care what bystanders are thinking, honestly. That is for me, not them. For me to sit down after a long (SO long) day and pull that picture up on my phone, think of that moment that felt like complete chaos, and see that adorable face. I love to reflect after the fact. During my moments, I DO feel stressed, I often don't show it, but I am....and that's ok. But, I also get excited that I captured that moment...one day, our children will laugh so hard that I did.

I don't take my pictures for the "highlight reel" posted on social media, I take them for me...for my kids... and if I end up with a good one (or two) that I may post, great. Although, I like to post some of my crazy times too because that's life...MY life...my chaotic life. I feel like I should be posting more of the blooper reel than the highlight reel because I want people, women, MOMS, to know it's okay to live in what feels like a blooper reel because we all do! Every moment you display does not have to be portrayed as perfect, with perfect children, in their perfect clean clothes, playing in perfectly clean houses, having a perfectly wonderful day listening to Mom. If this is truly happening in your home, PLEASE, I beg of you to get in touch with me...we will team up and conquer the world. Really though, I hope no one ever sees anything on social media that makes them feel like they are not living up to their motherly duty. Just remember as you are looking at that picture, one of those kids was having a tantrum, eating dirt, dumping a cup of water, milk, and/or snacks all over the damn floor (errr day, y'all, errr day), pouring out the mop bucket...ok, let me stop making this about my home... just 5 damn minutes before that lovely picture was taken.

For those moms that feel me, I urge you to post just ONE picture of your blooper reel. It will make another moms day, trust me.

P.S. Changing your photo to black & white can truly take it from a blooper to a highlight. HAHA!

Also, this is seriously just within the past day, so one can only imagine......
 I could stare at this kids grumpy face all day

 Yes, he's falling out...someone save him.....

I won't drop him, Mom....that's my fav

THIS is what nursing is like

Teaching Joseph to smile leads to some oddly possessed look

I MADE THE TEEANAGER LAUGH, SO HE TURNED AWAY!!!! The best.