Daddy's buddy!

Who says having all girls means you don't have a golfing buddy??

Mean? To this face???

Every Mom wants the best for their child.  We want them to grow up and be responsible, be loving, and lead a full life.  I think that is why it is so incredibly difficult to see your child be bullied.  I think there is something inside of us that takes us back to those times in our life when we felt picked on.  We all have our moment that we go back to that seems to drag up those old feelings of insecurity.  Today, for the first time was one of those moments in Neeley's little life.  I know it won't be the last and I know as a mom I can't fix it all but it just makes you want to.  You just wish you could make it all better, make it go away, and teach her that in the long run it doesn't and won't really matter.  But for her, today, it does matter and as a mom I am left to wonder what to do.  My mom has always said that being a mom gets easier physically only to be replaced by mental challenges as we raise our children.  I am afraid that today we have embarked down that long road.  We just have to teach them the best we can and let them brave it by themselves.  You just want to pull the kid aside and bully them right back, but you know you can't. I am left to question how, though.  What words do I say that can help her and not perpetuate the problem.  How do I get her to understand why kids find satisfaction in being mean and that the more you let it show, the more they love it.  And why do we as human beings so often find satisfaction in seeing others suffer?  Is it because we think it will take our own sting away?  Do we feel cool somehow?  Some questions are just never to be understood.

Holding On!

As much as a satisfaction it is to see Neeley grow up there is still a part of me that wants to hold on to her, never to let her grow up.  
As we were walking her to school this morning, Jer and I talked about how many times we had thought about this day and how many times the tears have come to our eyes just thinking about it.  Now we were actually doing it and it was a bit surreal.  She feels excitement with a bit of apprehension just as we do.  Each milestone we reach reminds me how fast life flies by.  

Schoolbag in hand, she leaves home in the early morning
Waving goodbye with an absent-minded smile
I watch her go with a surge of that well-known sadness
And I have to sit down for a while
The feeling that Im losing her forever
And without really entering her world
Im glad whenever I can share her laughter
That funny little girl

Slipping through my fingers all the time
I try to capture every minute
The feeling in it
Slipping through my fingers all the time
Do I really see whats in her mind
Each time I think Im close to knowing
She keeps on growing
Slipping through my fingers all the time

Sleep in our eyes, her and me at the breakfast table
Barely awake, I let precious time go by
Then when shes gone theres that odd melancholy feeling
And a sense of guilt I cant deny
What happened to the wonderful adventures
The places I had planned for us to go
(slipping through my fingers all the time)
Well, some of that we did but most we didnt
And why I just dont know

Slipping through my fingers all the time
I try to capture every minute
The feeling in it
Slipping through my fingers all the time
Do I really see whats in her mind
Each time I think Im close to knowing
She keeps on growing
Slipping through my fingers all the time

Sometimes I wish that I could freeze the picture
And save it from the funny tricks of time
Slipping through my fingers...

Slipping through my fingers all the time

Schoolbag in hand she leaves home in the early morning
Waving goodbye with an absent-minded smile...

Into It!

You name it, and Lilah is "into" it. She just loves to be in the middle of everything especially her sisters' business. I often hear squeals coming from Neeley and Kayla's room and I know just what it means, Lilah is striking again. It always makes me think of when I was little and all of the things I used to get into of my sisters. This time though was on her own turf with her own changing table. She climbed on there for the first time and was unloading wipes just as fast as she could. Lilah is becoming quite the talker. Some of my favorite things she says are:
gink = drink
nack = snack
EEEEEEeeewwwww! = stinky diaper
dat = that
I awnt out! Mom (several times) then Dadda (when Mom doesn't respond fast enough) = I want out of bed.
I funny! She says this one a lot but most often when she is in sisters' room turning the light on and off.

Back to School Night!

My baby is growing up.  It was so fun to go on a date with just Neeley to her back to school night.  She was so excited but a little nervous too.  Her teacher had sent her a letter to tell her all about school and included her blog address so we had looked at her blog and learned more about her before we got there.  Before it was time to go into the classrooms everyone met in the gym for a welcome meeting.  Neeley spotted her teacher from across the room and told me that she was excited because her teacher looked much nicer than she had appeared in her pictures.  We were both pleasantly surprised to see how large and cute her classroom is.  You could just feel Neeley's excitement and see how grown up and proud she was of her next adventure.  After leaving the back to school night we stopped and got some frozen yogurt together.  I can't believe how much you have grown and how fun you are to be around!

One Last Hurrah!

With school starting soon and the baby coming we thought we better get one last get away in this summer.  So off to our favorite place to visit: Las Vegas (you would think we would be sick of going there since living there but it is actually more fun now!)  We got to stay in the new Palazzo (compliments of the hotel!!) on the 37th floor.  We had a beautiful view of the Wynn and the golf course and the girls spent hours pretending to be reporters, reporting about all they saw down below.  Being on the 37th floor was really fun until the fire alarm rang at 3a.m.  I nearly had a heart attack with the shot of adrenalin I got from thinking about carrying my three little ones down 37 flights of stairs.  Luckily it stopped (the fire alarm, not the heart attack) before we woke up Kayla and Lilah to go.  Neeley of course was wide awake and freaked out too!

Anyway, we spent our time there at one of the 8 pools they have, shopping at the outlets and just relaxing in our room.  It was fun to just be together and not have a lot planned.  
Oh, and what trip could be complete without a visit to In-N-Out Burger and a slurpee to beat the heat.  Lilah was not letting go of that for anything.  In fact, she slurped down every last drop!!

Little Ladies That Follow Me!

On being the Mother of a Little Girl

Author: Unknown

A careful woman I ought to be
a little lady follows me.
I do not dare to go astray
for fear she'll go the self same way.
Not once can I escape her eyes:
Whate'er she sees me do she tries.
Like me she says she's going to be,
that little lady who follows me.
I must remember as I go
through summer sun and winter snow.
I'm molding for years to be
that little lady who follows me.