Time Travel

On Saturday we drove a few hours to a soccer game and as we took the long way back, we stopped by our old neighborhood. We lived in a very small town that was pretty rural. We were sandwiched between the Olympic mountains and the Puget Sound. Everywhere we went there seemed to be amazing views. This is where we lived from the time Maria was born and Izzy was 2 until Maria was 4 and Izzy was 6. It is where I was a stay at home mom and snuggled my girls close and listened as they said their first words. It is where I hung up a list of all the states in the kitchen and Morrie asked if we were running a preschool. It's where we had our first dog. It's where we listened to frogs croaking late at night and took walks in the woods and had the best neighbor friends we have ever had.

Just driving into the neighboring towns got me choked up. I wanted look down the street and see us driving our car in 2002 with giggling little girls singing along with Toddler Tunes (a CD we nearly wore out). I can still hear Izzy asking me questions in her sweet little high voice and Maria agreeing with everything her big sister said.

How am I not still with those little ones?


I never thought just driving by the old house would bring back such strong feelings. I remember every inch of that small house. The trees I painted on the walls, Sesame Street playing on the tv, the girls coloring at the kitchen table, and me cooking dinner in the smallest kitchen you can imagine.

I so badly wanted to walk up to that front door, nudge it open, and peek in on those girls and maybe sit down with them and play for a while.

This is the park where we would go to light off fireworks with all the neighbors on the fourth of July.

This view I probably saw a million times, getting ready to go visit the family on the other side of the water.



It was a lot to take in and absorb. I am not really ready to have the girls be so old and mature. I think I super enjoyed 18 month old Maria and 3 year old Izzy. I think I would like to have them over. I think I need a hug.

Sigh..

Sniff*

Can I just lay down on the sand and wake up in 2001?

Meanwhile, Morrie thought I was off my rocker and went to look at starfish with Maria.

Isabelle couldn't be with us that day as she had more pressing issues. Like hanging out with a bunch of other teenagers.

I really missed her. Really. I would have liked all 4 of us to have been together so she could share her memories with us. Maybe she could have held my hand.

As it was, Maria had to continually hug me and hold my hand everywhere we walked.

Where are these girls???

I need a tissue.

I think I know why some families just keep having kids.

Because if you don't, you will wind up curled up under your blankets moaning about how much you miss your babies. Then you teenager will roll her eyes and ask you to stop holding her so tightly and if she can go do her homework, or text someone, or do ANYTHING else. Then your almost 12 year old will get you a tissue and giggle because she thinks you are funny. She will ask to use your iphone flashlight app and blind you in the process. Then you will get up from under your heavy emotional blanket of memories and wonder if it will always hurt this much.

Yup, I think it will.

I will just keep my sunglasses on to hide my weeping and ask Morrie to hold me a little longer. Then I will probably tell him that I want the girls to live with us forever.

Fall

It was really cold this morning!! The dog even looked chilled, so we threw a blanket in the dryer and made her into a burrito.


Morrie and I went for a walk last week while Maria warmed up for her game, and the trees were amazing! What is even more amazing is that we took pictures with our phones the whole time and looked like the nerdiest couple ever.

EVER!

Maria runs into fall like you wouldn't believe.

There is no way I would look this stunning after running a race.

Can I have what they're drinking??




Turns out, if you hold your phone up to a kaleidoscope, and take a picture, it really works!

Turns out, if you miss 9/10 of your daughter's 9th grade soccer season, you will curl up in a ball and cry every night (she's in the back row on the right).

She really wanted her goalie to have the opportunity to play on the field for once. So before the last game, Izzy asked her coach if she could be in goal so her goalie could start the final game as forward.

Can someone get me a kleenex?

Sud Su Ming

Maria thought long and hard about what to name her cat. Names were listed, voting was done, names were eliminated, lists were reconstructed. It was a lengthy process. She finally settled on Sud Su Ming. It means Ghost of a Tiger. She read about it in a book.

Her cat is all grey, so the ghost part fits nicely. I was thinking that it would mean we would hardly notice the cat. She would slink around the house and just when you thought you saw her, you would turn your head, and she wouldn't be there.

Unfortunately, that's isn't the case. She loves to cuddle and she demands it by meowing rather loudly that she needs attention.

It's kind of cute. Kind of.


Until she starts climbing into every nook and cranny. She sits in the sink, runs across the kitchen table no matter how many times we yell at her, jumps up on the edge of the washing machine as soon as I turn on the water (and immediately throws her arm under the water), jumps into the dryer as soon as it opens (even if I am putting wet clothes IN), and basically gets on my nerves.

After a few hours of chasing her around as if we have a rogue toddler, her energy wanes and

napping commences.
I thought cats were supposed to be easy. I want a new ghost!

Part Two: Road Trip

I saved my favorite photos for you today. In between belting out this song over and over:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2j279pZxTY we took loads of pictures.

We listen to Adele, because of course, my 11 year old is well versed in heartache.

NOT.

We managed to stare at the sky in awe. Maria is tired of me saying "Oh Oh, get that- but try to block this, and don't get that there, tilt it just so..." while I was cruising down the highway.

I think I am going to quit my job, pull Maria out of school and travel cross country so we can do more of this!

Road Trip!

I like road trips.

I like to sit in the passenger seat and enjoy the scenery. This trip though, I had to be the driver and my 11 year old side kick got to relax and be the photographer most of the time.



We saw lots of clouds, and took lots of pictures of them. They were awesome.

After a long day of driving and playing soccer and driving some more, we rolled into our next town about 9:00pm and jumped right into bed.

The next day we drove some more, played soccer some more and enjoyed the scenery...and cleaned the windshield 7 times because I couldn't see through the 3,000 bugs that left their guts all over it. We had to resort to rolling down the window and one point just to get a clear picture.

We also sang Adele at the top of our lungs. Music can really make a road trip!

Having a good side kick doesn't hurt either.

Did I mention that we were loving the clouds?

Giving the clouds a run for their money were the wind turbines. Simply put, they were amazing and we might have a hundred pictures of them. Maybe more.

We actually stopped to get the last light of the day here:

I told her not to get to close to the edge, but this girl like to push the envelope.

Oops...looks like we might have pushed the envelope a little too much!

Why does she insist on giving me these heart attacks??

Dog Contest

Morrie had a Pet Photo Contest at work last week. He of course wanted a picture of Annie for it. I hate that dog. She is sooo much work, and I never take pictures of her. This was all he could find to choose from...that were recent.

She only won second place!!! I demand a RECOUNT!!!

While the kids are away...Mom will play

I have had some cardboard letters hanging out in a closet for over a year.



A YEAR people! I finally found some time to do something with them one weekend while Morrie and the girls were gone. I think this was when Morrie spent 4 days on a boat at Seafair, and the girls went camping. I found myself working and doing chores the first few days and then realized I was nuts, and had better find something fun to do.





Letters + craft supplies = a really happy Andrea

Throw in some white paint

Nope, not good enough, lets throw in some COLOR!

Sigh...I love color.

Hmmm...I wonder how I end of thinking of them even when they aren't around?

Funny how this sappy mom works.