I'm not the kind of woman who wants to document herself at her lowest or darkest. I'd rather just go into hibernation. Like a giant, cranky bear.
I am, however, the kind of mother who wants a record for her children to read ... of their lives, the darling things they say and do, and the way we spend our days together.
So. I shall blog from my cave.
We had a HUGE 6th birthday party for Chiara. We knew we were moving as soon as school was out and she would miss her friends. She is the most social child I know. So, now she has this day as a memory of being surrounded by friends who love her.
Eve spent the party running off into usually forbidden territory. I put my fear of scorpions, spiders, and everything else in Arizona on pause, and let her.
Noelle could be found that afternoon at the snack bar eating endless starbursts and nacho dorito chips. I let her.
Best day of her life. :)
One of the best days of our family life was the day Eldon graduated from medical school. Four years is a long, LONG time. Sometimes young people come up to us asking for advice, what classes to take to get in, what to expect, etc etc. Our advice: Choose a different career. Seriously.
Then we moved to Las Vegas. The heat was even more unbearable than in Mesa, which I didn't think was even possible. Why do people continue to live (voluntarily) in the desert? It's a mystery to me. It might have been worse because I'm pregnant, and Baby #4 is like a little internal inferno that I carry around with me everywhere I go. So, we survived the first few weeks by going to indoor play areas like McDonald's. The girls could play and I could drink Diet Coke and read my book. Win-win.
Noelle and Chiara climbing the wall, which I had asked them repeatedly not to do. But when they start hugging while being disobedient, I just take pictures.
Eve and I went to go visit my parents as a little sanity check for me. Eldon was on a break between work and school, so we hopped on a plane to use up the last of our Southwest voucher. She loved it, of course. And so did I.
Chiara went through a phase where she wanted me to braid her hair when it was wet and then take the braids out after it dried to make her hair "curly." When you look back at these pictures, grown up Chiara, I want you to take full responsibility for your hair. This was not my idea.
So now school is back in session, and summer is over - except for the weather. When the girls are all together they laugh and play ... and watch Dinosaur Train and Wishin' Poof on my kindle. I love how much they love each other. Noelle pines for Chiara when she's away at school, and Eve always rushes Noelle with hugs if Noelle sleeps longer than she does and Eve has had to wait for her to wake up. I have been wishing for a boy this whole pregnancy, since I don't have one, but I don't know ... There is something magical about having a whole gaggle of sisters. :) We'll see.
I think that about sums up the last year. :) I'm about to turn 32, so I decided I'd start doing more of what really matters to me. Blogging is one of those things. Because I love my children. :)
