Luckiest Mom In the Whole Wide World

Once upon a time there was a girl who wanted
to be Mother more than anything in the whole
wide world. Even though the notion of motherhood 
is somewhat archaic in the world as a whole, 
it was the dream she dreamed.


She tried and tried and things kept going 
terribly wrong, but she didn't give up. 
And even though her heart kept breaking 
she prayed, and hoped, and dreamed of the 
day when she would hold a tiny baby 
in her arms.


One day, her dream came true and she was
blessed with a healthy (almost) 9 pound
baby boy who healed her very broken heart.


Her dream of being a mother had come true.




The Gods must have decided she deserved 
a really GOOD baby, who would grow into 
a really GREAT son...because somehow that's 
what she got.  Better than good and somehow
beyond great too.  Delicious and fulfilling
and joyful her heart rang true as she
raised him.  This was what she had been
called to do.  Somewhere in the deepest
parts of her soul, this was what resonated
to her.


Time passed and in what feels like an
instant, her child has grown into a 
young man.


HOW could this be possible?  Yesterday
he was two, and tomorrow he will be gone.


She is trying to remember how this all 
happened so fast, the time part--flying
by--that is, and if she did the best that she
could (she is SURE she didn't do everything
right) and some days she did everything so 
very very wrong and she hopes he forgives her
for being human in all of her efforts.


Now this boy is getting ready to graduate.
The mothers heart is feeling very heavy
and sad that her "baby" is all grown up.


She is very excited to see what his future
will hold and is certain if he chooses to
he will FLY!  She cannot wait to watch
him soar and reach in and be a part of the
whole process when he lets her.  When he
wants her.  When he needs her.

Those days will become less.  And less.


In the meantime, this 'letting go' thing 
is coming with its fair share of tears 
on the mothers part.  She's trying to 
hide them, but sometimes they sneak out.


Please forgive her.  It feels as if a
tiny chunk of her heart is leaving
her body, a part that has been a bigger
part of the whole for a very long time
(18 years!) and letting go of that 
part is hard.


This mom whispered to her husband
on Saturday, that as hard as these 
transitions in life are, SHE
literally felt like the luckiest mom
in the whole wide world on Saturday night.


She got to be a teeny part of this boys Prom.
A friend hired a Chef to cook food (good
stuff!) and she got to decorate and
be creative in her mother in laws loveliest
of yards to help create a moment for
THEIR prom. 


She wanted it to feel magical for them.
So she tried her very best to create some.


She got to serve food and take pictures, on
her camera and in her heart, of the priceless
priceless moments.  This snapshot in time.
Lucky for her, the pictures in her heart will
be imprinted there forever.


Sigh.  Happy sigh.


It was a lot of work, but even more joy...
And as she said before, She felt like the 
LUCKIEST Mom in the whole wide world
on Saturday night.


She proudly presents...


Olympus Senior Prom Dinner 
2012.  

~With love from ALL the 

parts of her heart~

that MOM :)

Seniors, Sodes & Sun

In honor of graduation in 17 days....

17 days.

17.

HOLY.....cow!

My extra "sons" for the past few years.

Sitting on the roof, in the happy chairs,

enjoying the sun and having some "sodes".

(pronounced: soda WITHOUT the "A")

"SODES"

(rhymes with 

lymph NODES)

Hanging out here.

Eating LOTS of food.

Blowing up LOTS of things.

Laughing (Mitchell) and 

giggling like girls.

Studying for tests, having movie nights

in the basement, LOTS of COD (and

if you don't know COD by the initials

you don't need to know)

 I am SO lucky to have shared

in little tiny snippets of these boys lives

and am so THRILLED that my house

has been a house where they have

felt comfortable being.  It has been

a great joy to myself (and Kyle and my girls)

to share these boys with their families.

They all feel like extra sons.

Congrats boys, you're almost done!

Happy Mothers Day

Yup, this is what

being a mother is all

about.  Take a moment

to carefully look at each

child.  

After eating the lovely

omelet and fruit smoothie

that was prepared for me,

I hopped in the shower

to hear the sounds of 

my bickering children 

in the backyard...

I yelled out the window

"Ah the REAL sounds of

Mothers Day, the joy!"

Let's just keep it 

real people, right?

I'm grateful for the

UPS and the DOWNS

and (mostly) wouldn't

trade the deliciousness

of being a mother

for anything.

It is a savory treat

that brings me new

challenges and new

joys, new heartaches

and new surprises

everyday of my life!

Thanks Josh, Grace,

Eliza & Olivia for 

making me a "mother"

and helping me learn

how to stretch and

grow inside of my mothers

skin...thank you for 

testing my mother heart

and thank you for

helping me learn

what the word

"LOVE" 

really

really

really

means.

I love you all!

Modern Family moments,

and all!

Lasts...

My son just played his last volleyball game in high school
tonight.

Ever.

Boy oh Boy has it been fun to watch.

He takes his last AP tests Friday and Monday.
Euro History and Physics, respectively.

I just opened his "graduation schedule" letter that came in
the mail.  This will be my first and (thankfully) his first
and last high school graduation

Boy oh Boy has he been fun to have around.

Well him and a buncha extra boys that live in my house.

Who knew this whole growing up thing would tug on my
heart strings with such a pull, such a grip, such a searing
snag?

Who knew I would have tears spilling down my face as
I read his schedule for the next few weeks leading up
to the grand finale, the big walk, the whole cap and gown
thing?

Real salty, dripping tears.

Who knew that my mother's heart would feel such a
desperate gripping sadness at this whole "letting go"
and "growing up" thing?

Who knew this journey of "lasts" would be SO, oh SO
very bittersweet?

I know that the future will be bright and I will also be
enjoying many, glorious first in the months and years ahead,

but for NOW, these "lasts" are hard. hard. hard.

volleyball 2012

In the midst of kitchens, children and life Kyle 

has been coaching the Oly varsity Volleyball Team.

This is Josh's 4th year, and last, on varsity volleyball.

This is also the time I wish I had an extra

$1000 floating around for a great lens

(fast, let in lots of light) to take high speed

sport action shots. 

Alas, it is not so--so I snap and post

and curse the blur in my pictures.

But here they are.

Volleyball has been 4 nights a week, 

Monday through Thursday.  It has been

busy and it has been fun.  I will miss

cheering for my kid while he does this.

 Waiting to play, supporting the Oly JV team.

Warming up...Yup! That is Brev playing with a busted hand.

and YUP! His mom knows.  He broke it playing baseball--Sr. Year.

What can you do?

Conferring coaches.

GO TITANS!