. . . . . means the beginning of a new blog book. We love our family books. It's such a great way to document all the little moments of our lives.
Although it is already 20 days into the 2013 year there are so many
moments to take note of. Just a little while ago as we were lying down resting, Ellie asked me "Mom, how are people built?" I gave a simple explanation of how babies develop in the womb (not how they get there, after : ) )
The simple little questions, the curiosity and wonderment of my kids has always fascinated me. As they continue to grow up day by day and year after year and the time continues to speed up on a consistent basis I find myself holding on to every little moment. In the book,
Tuesday's with Morrie, he talks about parenting as being one of the greatest gifts in life, "There is no experience like having children." I think a person can only really understand this by having children. The over flowing love that I feel for my kids when I look at them is an amazing thing. It is the truest, purest love I can think of and everyday I am SO grateful to be their mom.
For the past week Ellie has been making valentines for everyone; mostly me and so I find myself with an ever growing pile of small, specially decorated papers & envelopes that she has created just for me. Love this! Here is a tiny sampling:
It has been SOOOOOO cold since Christmas, yesterday's high 5 DEGREES and that's been one of the warm days, ugh. I seriously think I am meant to live in a warm climate, maybe being born in the tropics attributes to that, ha. To compensate for the bone chilling weather we have been playing Wii, actually utilizing all electronics, visiting the library, drawing, and other indoor activities.
Ethan is playing Jr. Jazz basketball so we enjoy watching him play on Saturday mornings. He continues to develop as a basketball player and has reached the level where they're running plays and are a little more strategic. In addition to the physical skills it takes he has a good understanding of the game and all of the details that make it fun.
I recently received a call from my mom giving me an update on a lump near her clavicle bone that she had looked at. After X-rays and scans the doctor also found a mass on the upper part of her lung. They immediately got her in for a biopsy of both and so we are waiting for results. Of course the first thing I did after getting off the phone is jump on to the internet, BIG mistake. Sometimes too much information is hazardous to your all ready anxious, worry. My mom has been a smoker most of her life and so according to info I read things do not look good. However, we are hopeful that the biopsy results are good news. What's difficult for me to understand is that after all of this I asked her if she quit smoking and the answer is no. If anything is motivating I would think this would be. What I have an even harder time understanding is why doesn't the doctor say straight out, Ma'am if you want to help yourself, you should stop smoking. Last year my mom had her lungs looked at and she told me her doctor said, "your lungs look fine. You can tell you're a smoker." Again, why not encourage a smoker to stop. An odd detail about this situation is she found this out (about the mass on her lung) exactly 4 months to the day after Paletas passed away. Another reminder of just how precious life is.
My word/phrase for 2013 is
be present. To take every moment for what it is. Embrace the laughter of my children, enjoy the nights when Ellie wants to be snuggled for "a few more minutes" and listen to the intricate details of the house Ethan has built in MineCraft. I'm going to overcome my dislike of talking on the phone and call my mom more often and conquer the 4 hour drive to visit more than every few months. I'm a little fearful of what might be in store for this year, yet I'm excited for all of the wonderful moments ahead to share and embrace with my family. There's a quote I read recently that really speaks to me at this time, "Once you become consciously aware of just how powerful your thoughts are, you'll realize everything in your life is exactly how YOU allow it to be."
