December 31, 2011

My daughter was helping me to put away holiday decorations this morning
in the attic and she asked me if I could go through the old baby clothes with her and get
her some 'newborn' outfits for her stuffed animals.

She's been asking me this for a while and I've been procrastinating after each request.
My 'to do' list is long today but I sat down and slowly unboxed baby clothes.  So
many memories came flooding back and as it always amazes me that either of these
big kids in my house now were ever 8-12 pound newborns.

I gently touched all the embroidery on the little dresses and remembered her as she
wore them.  Then I inhaled deeply into his teddy bear onesies, in hopes of gathering
a scent him as he once was, just a bundle in my arms.

As I sat and sulked in the bittersweetness of the events, I heard her downstairs excitedly
going into her room and talking...

"Hey there, Bowie!  Wait until you see how your tail fits perfectly into this one!"  and then
just as enthusiastically, "Mr. Lumpy, you are going to look just fantastic in this one!"

She's talking to her stuffed animals as she dresses them in the clothes I had just given her.  
She's being seven.  And it's beautiful.

It was then that I realized that while missing all that has gone far too fast, I need to remember
to enjoy 7 and him 4.   Seven and four are cool~  different, but equally important and just
fantastic.

So, here's to a new year~

My resolutions are to write more, laugh more, do more yoga and more of anything for that matter
that makes me happy.   I want to continue photography and may start canning and even camping.  I want to deliberately spend more time on the beach and in the mountains.  

I want to say yes more and no less - to my children, to challenges, to experiences.    I want to make an effort of surrounding myself with people and situations who make me laugh and who better me as a person.  I want to be around people who make me think, question, laugh and smile.   I want to develop a circle of acceptance and love around us and our children, a place where there is little room for negativity or for judgement.

And there... I want to continue to grow along with them... and to not miss a moment along the way.

Happy New Year~   K