My Hand Print

When our children are little we moms love their little hand prints.

Footprints too. Don't want to leave out the baby toes!

Hands are touch. Touch is intimate. Intimacy is bond.

There aren't many stronger bonds than those between mother and child.

Both of my children made hand print poem keepsakes for me for Christmas when they were each in kindergarten.

The one on the left is AJ's and on the right is Camryn's.

These two school craft projects are my very favorites. I put them up somewhere every Christmas, and I will cherish them forever. Every year I read them and get a catch in my throat.

The poems are very similar, with just a few differences.

AJ's reads:

Sometimes you get discouraged

Because I am so small

And always leave my fingerprints

On furniture and walls.

But everyday I'm growing--

I'll be grown some day

And all those tiny hand prints

Will surely fade away,.

Here's a little hand print wreath

Just so you can recall

Exactly how my fingers looked

When I was very small.

And Camryn's goes:

Sometimes you get discouraged

Because I am so small

And always leave my fingerprints

On furniture and walls.

But every day I am growing up and

Soon I'll be so tall,

That all of those fingerprints will be

Hard to recall.

So here is a hand print so that

You can say,

This is how my hand looked in

2005 on Christmas Day.

Every. Single. Mom. Out there will nod in agreement that our kids grow up way too fast. There's no escaping it. The days can drag, but the years fly by.

Camryn is 13 and AJ will turn 8 next month. My babies are no more; haven't been for awhile now.

Cami's feet are bigger than mine and she's nearly as tall as me. How true the line "Soon I'll be so tall" is! She can be dropped off at the movies or the skate deck, and she walks a mile round trip to the nearest gas station mini-mart.

AJ is still kind of small, but growing and learning and maturing at lightening speed.

We are able to leave them home alone for more than just a few minutes. Camryn can do some simple cooking by herself. The other night we were two miles down the road at Mark's work party (no kids allowed), and the kids got themselves ready for bed, including AJ's shower. (I did get one phone call during the party due to a fight, but still.)

All these changes. Time marching on. Kids growing up. Makes me so glad I have those keepsakes.

So I can remember when....

TGIF: 6 Years Edition

Welcome to a new & improved....

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All things have their growing pains, right? I think a blog meme is no exception. It might take a little time to know exactly what you're going for, the feel/tone of it and such.
At least that's what I'm telling myself.
TGIF started out as talking about something Terrific, something you're Grateful for or something Important , focusing on the positive at the end of the week. Then I realized that people just may not be able to find something like that in their week.  I also decided I wanted to have others guest post here every other week and it seemed hard to ask them last minute, you know? And then I wrote my last TGIF post about my little Coke scrapbook and GetGlue stickers, which was all about stuff that makes me happy in some way.
So I decided that TGIF should simply be about whatever makes us happy, whatever is making you happy....whatever, however...just happy stuff.
So come and get your happy on with me!
* * * * *
This week I'm talking about my AJ.  His 6th birthday is tomorrow.
He shares his birthday with my MIL. It's so interesting.  When we told her I was pregnant and that my due date was January 19, she said, "Well keep your legs crossed until the 21st!", and I ended up being induced first thing in the morning on the 21st.
My dad's birthday is on the 22nd, and my J.Ho's birthday, my kids' Godmother, is on the 23rd.  AJ has good company all the way around.
Having my son made me very happy because I really wanted 2 children, and it turns out he is the only boy in our family. I remember when I was pregnant my FIL asking me, "Do we know yet if there's a stem on the apple?" Haha!
I have prepared some pictures to show how he's changed over the years, and I'm linking them with Mama Wants This! and These Little Waves for this month's....

Six years already! I swear his little boy years are going by so much faster than Cami's little girl years did. Looking through these photos I am floored. AJ is a handful, but I am in awe of his spunk, his energy, his mind and just what a handsome little man he is. I'm very proud to be his mom.

Source: forum.baby-gaga.com via Just on Pinterest

Go get your happy on and link up with me!

About My Family Tree

Guess what??

This?  This post that you're reading right here, is number 250!

I love that it's a Listicle.

This week's prompt was chosen by Ms. Mamalog and it's a doozie!  She asked us to come up with 10 tidbits from our family tree.

Hmmm....

I can imagine my family members squirming in their seats.

Mwahahaha!

Lucky me, it just so happens that I got to attend a cousin's wedding this weekend where I saw most of the paternal side of my family and did a little recon.

Mwahahaha!

Here is what my immediate family tree looks like:

To clarify, this is my immediate biological family: My grandparents and my parents and their siblings.

1. My father's mother, Dolores, whom we fondly refer to as "Dode", is actually really into genealogy.  As far as I know, she has tracked our ancestry back centuries.  It seems to mostly lead back to England.  I think Grandma Dode's trove of information is mainly names, places and dates, not so much anecdotal.  So I will only be able to share with you what I know about my family.

2.  My paternal grandparents are Wally and Dode who had 5 children, 4 boys and 1 girl.  Their names are Scott, Mark, Renee, Randy and Clay.  Randy is my father.  My Grandpa Wally and uncle Clay have passed away.

My father and grandmother

3.  My maternal grandparents are Paul and Joyce who had 3 children, 2 girls and 1 boy.  Their names are Dawn, Deanne and Scott.  Deanne is my mother (pronounced Dee-anne).

My grandma Joyce
Update: Dear Jen, the family name on my moms side is Littlejohn - He was given a land grant by the King of England in the new world in the 1600's.  He came from Scotland and was Robin Hood's partner in crime.  Believe me they were beyond fit, the movies make them look ridiculous.  There are quit a few in our country's history too, like Danial Boon or was it Davie Crockett?  My aunt has a book she is going to leave to me.  luv Grams

My mother

4.  I have two uncles named Scott and an uncle named Mark, which is my husband's name.

5.  All these aunts and uncles married and had 2-4 children each, for a grand total of 14 cousins.  One I have never known and one died of SIDS.  They are made up of 7 girls and 7 boys.  This sounds all even-steven like, but growing up, I was surrounded by mostly female cousins.

Grandma Joyce, mother, aunt, me, cousin and my daughter

Grandma, dad, my family, aunts, uncles and cousins on dad's side

6.  Many of us cousins are now married and having children too.  My and my cousins' children number 13 so far.

7a.  It seems that my grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles all got married and had children pretty young by today's standards.  At the wedding I just went to, I found out that one of my grandmothers and most of my aunts were pregnant on their wedding days.  So was my mother, who was only 16.

7b.  I was conceived in Lake Tahoe, born in Washington state where I lived for 12 years, moved to Lake Tahoe where I lived until I was almost 20, and now I live in Washington state again.

My mom holding baby me

8.  The wedding we just went to was for a cousin we didn't know until we were adults.  My uncle Mark didn't know.  Interesting thing is, this cousin's mother named him exactly the same name as my aunt Renee named her son, first AND middle names, without either of the moms knowing.

9.  I haven't seen or spoken to my mother's father I think since my high school graduation, nearly 20 years ago.  He upset me regarding my graduation, then he divorced his second wife whom we all loved and then he just sort of went away.  He is bipolar.

10.  Have you noticed that I haven't mentioned any siblings of mine?  That's because I am an only child.  Even though I had young parents who could have easily had more children in each of their second marriages, they didn't.  I have had some angst over this my entire life.  I'm trying to get over it.  Really, I am.

"Our most basic instinct is not for survival but for family. Most of us would give our own life for the survival of a family member, yet we lead our daily life too often as if we take our family for granted."

~ Paul Pearshall

Back in the Day

Being a kid today is so much different than it was when I was a kid!

I was born in 1974.  I grew up in the 80s, graduating high school in 1992.

Oh the 80's!  But that's an entirely other subject....

What I'm talking about today are things I wish my kids could do nowadays that I did when I was a kid.

I'd like to say that I wish they didn't have to sit in car seats or wear bike helmets, because I manged to survive without them, but honestly, those things keep kids safe and that's a good thing.

However....

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1. I drank whole milk.  Today, pediatricians tell us to stop that by the time our kids are 2, to switch to 2% or even 1% or - gag - fat free.  I think "fat free milk" is an oxymoron.  Nevermind the fact that I no longer like the taste of milk.  That's not the point.  I'm talking about my kids!

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2.  I climbed trees.  I can't for the life of me find a decent climbing tree anywhere!  My cousins had a great one right in their backyard and we climbed it every chance we got.

3.  We had lots of family get-togethers.  It seems like having parties with kids now can only be for a kid's birthday party.  We don't get together, just families, and have fun together much.  The adults in my life felt fine with having their fun right along side us kids having our fun.  Seems like everyone wants more separation nowadays.

4.  I could run around town.  Even though there really isn't any more danger to kids these days than there was years ago, we are now afraid to let our kids out of our sight.  I guess this is because of the media?  I don't know, but we are so worried they will be kidnapped or worse.

5.  I could stay out until the street lights came on.  My parents knew about where I'd be, but not always specifically.  I had more freedom than my kids do.

6.  I could go to the bus stop by myself even in Kindergarten.  I have to be at the bus stop with AJ when he gets on in the morning, and the driver won't let him off after school if I'm not standing right there.

7.  I ate Twinkies.  I don't think I've ever given one of my children a Twinkie.  I wasn't even sure if they still existed until I found this picture!

8.  I was a latch-key kid.  I had my own house key and was at home alone after school all the time.  Even as early as age 7.  No parent does that now.  But I was fine.  No boogieman ever got me and I never burned the house down.

9.  I hardly ever needed help with my homework.  Why do my kids always need help?  Well actually, just Camryn since AJ hasn't had any homework yet.  Is it just that she's got ADD?  Is it actually harder?  I think some things are harder, but some stuff isn't being taught anymore at all.

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10.  MTV was brand new and pretty much only videos.  I'm not an old fuddy-duddy who doesn't like new music.  On the contrary, I like a lot of what comes out.  But I won't watch MTV anymore because it's hardly about music.  And I don't really want my kids watching it because they're just going to see a whole bunch of crap.

What would you add to the list?

My Babies Aren't Babies Anymore

Of course I knew this day would come. But knowing something is coming doesn’t necessarily make it any easier.

My kids growing up is in no way as hard as, say, a death, but there is a sense of loss involved. It is a change, and every change needs to be processed.

My daughter was a slow talker, but oh how I loved the way she would pronounce things. Flower was “fwow-wow” and hot dog was “ga-gog”. I never want to forget things like that!

My son is was a thumb-sucker and hair player-with-er. It has been really special to have my little boy sit in my lap sucking his thumb and playing with my hair, so happy and content. But he is earnestly trying to kick this habit because he’s a big kid now. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t missing it just a little.

My beautiful daughter Camryn is now 11 years old and heading into middle school in a month. She is a full-on Tween, at the stage of childhood where she is a goofy little girl one moment and then a young lady the next. She has ADD so she is slightly less mature than most of her peers, but she is still well on her way. She just became a Girl Scout Cadette and is currently attending her 2^nd year at horse camp. She got her love of horses from my mother. Apparently it skips a generation!

I have a confession. I find myself staring at Cami’s body quite a bit, waiting for any sign of puberty. I want to be prepared the moment she needs a real bra (she sometimes wears little training bras) and hope to God I have a good reaction when she starts her period! I don’t want to be overly excited or giddy which might be embarrassing. Nor do I want to let out a heavy sigh because I know just how much fun periods are.

My adorable son AJ is 5 ½ and starting Kindergarten in September. He attended a year and a half of preschool, complete with riding the bus, so I’m not real weepy about him starting K (although I do know he will begin reading this year and that‘s a big deal). No, it’s more the other things he’s doing now that get me. That he’s already started losing his baby teeth, that he learned how to ride a 2-wheeler in about 5 minutes and suddenly he can reach the kitchen faucet. Oh, don’t let me forget that he’s now spent a couple nights away from us this summer!

Seriously, just how many milestones, regardless of how small, need to happen to a mommy all at once?

Every time I turn around lately my kids get or do something new. They simply aren’t little anymore and that’s crazy. And it’s not only about accepting where my kids are at now, but also what that means in relation to ME as their mom. I have now been a mother for 11 years. I’ve got some real experience under my belt. I find I’m able to share my “motherly wisdom” with others from time to time.

Actually, that last part is funny. On one had I feel like I have some wisdom, but on the other hand one of the things I’m wise to is that I don’t have all the answers. I thought I did before I ever had children. But now, nope.

What I know right now is my children, my beautiful babies, are becoming actual young PEOPLE. Time is marching on….and on and on. And in the immortal words of Steven Tyler, I don’t wanna miss a thing.