A new year...

Today my girl started her new year of school. She is now a SECOND GRADER!!

Here she is next to her locker

I can't believe the summer went so fast. And honestly I can't believe our life since having her has gone so fast. She has just been such a joy in my life. I have loved having her. I have said it before, but being pregnant with her, and then having her were so life changing for me. It was like this huge "AHA" moment for me. The skies seemed to part and the heavens sang. Finally my life had a meaning. Not that it hadn't before, but having her just opened my heart and mind in a way that had not previously happened. Because of her I wanted to be a better me. I became stronger in my walk with Jesus, and the slant at which I looked at the world shifted. And as time has gone by my convictions have just gotten stronger, and she is the one that gave me the nudge I needed. God worked through her for me.

Here she is with a couple of her gal pals.

When she was first born I just could NOT get enough of her. I wanted to hold her all the time, and I hated going to church or other places where the ladies would want to hold her. Have mercy if they tried to walk off with her. I would have a break down. I would start tearing up. It was pathetic, I admit. Because of my own experience being a first time mom, I never ask to hold anyone elses new baby if it is their first time being a mom. I just truly cherished every little thing about her.

At her group of desks...

I would hold her for hours, and read to her, and play games with her. It was just the best thing being a mama. To this day I still don't identify with the moms who don't love to be with their littles ALL.THE.TIME. Especially when they are so little, and it really is such a temporary time. And the day that I had to go back to work when she was about 18 months old was the worst. I had to leave her with my mom. I think my girl and I both cried for days. Ha! I worked for about a year and a half until I had my boy, and again I have truly been cherishing my time at home, being everything mama oriented. It has been my lifes joy to have this time to be with my chicks. They won't always need me like they do at this time in their lives, and already I feel like time has raced by. My girl is in Second Grade for crying out loud, and sadly this year... my boy will be starting preschool 5 days a week. Last year he went to a 2 day a week program, but this year he will go EVERYDAY of the week, and on 2 of those days he will have 5 hour days because in the afternoon he will be going to the program he was in last year which is an "inclusion" class. The other one is strictly "special ed.". It was a hard decision to decide to put him in the class for 5 days a week, but he will be getting his therapies like occupational therapy, speech therapy, etc. and I want him to have a good start to life that way. So that is what we are going with. But it is hard, friends, becuz I like my chicks with me. I am not the mom that has so much better things to do. My chicks are the better thing, and if we can spend time together that is my happy place.

I have so much more to add to this post, but I am running on fumes...

To be continued...

God bless you! Hope your week is going great!