Back to School

First I have to start off how fast the summer went. Bryttany and Kent had summer camp, I ran the 1/2 marathon, Aubrey played with her little cousin Tessa and we all went to Colorado. We have been home for two weeks and bam, school starts. Every year I have a different emotion it seems with back to school. Sometimes I am happy(I know; most horrible mom in the world) sometimes I am sad, sometimes I am neither and there has been the all of above too!

So this is the emotion I have this year, I don't know. Does that count as an emotion? My youngest child is 5th grade, and she still likes me. She will still sit on the couch and watch TV. She still likes to play games and values what I say to her. She looks forward to our family nights but she also likes to play with her friends, a lot. There is still a good balance of family and friends. And get this, she still lets me kiss her in public, GASP! I know, it is almost impossible to believe. Thank goodness I still have her to remind me of why I had children and why God didn't make me a lion, they eat their young ya know!

How many of you have teenagers or at least children in Jr High? I now feel your pain. One day my oldest daughter woke up and she was replaced by this thing I do not recognize. She has to shower, wears make-up, spends more time on her hair than I do, wears my shoes(without asking I might add) tolerates me and her dad. All I know is friends with older girls, could have given me a little warning? It is not that Bryttany is a bad kid, she isn't. She gets straight A's, is in student council, plays softball, helps me cook dinner, is responsible. You get the picture. I know I have nothing to complain about and plenty to be thankful for. But all I know is everyday a little more and more of my daughter whose biggest concern was cuddle time and being a good big sister is being replaced by a young woman who has the whole world to go out and explore and it isn't going to be our hands that she turns around to grasp, but I do know it will be our arms she will always come running to when she wants to come home.

Home Sweet Home

Where do you even begin about a vacation that you didn't really look forward to but once there, you didn't want to leave? That is how it is with Colorado and me, it is a love hate relationship. I can't tell you the last time I went home and smelled the air and said "This is Home". I know we will never move back, if no other reason, the girls are getting too old and I can't aka them from their friends. Truly Arizona is the only home they have ever known. They don't know snow on Christmas, winter coats on Halloween and snow days. They do know Cactus with Christmas lights, sitting in the neighbors driveway on Halloween and heat advisory days at school. I think I was more nostalgic this time because I am getting old. Yep turning 35 will do that to you, maybe it is a mini mid life crisis. I am turning 35, my oldest will be in Jr High and I found a bunch of grey hairs this year, GASP! Time has changed my view on things and time has given me the chance to regret some of the choices I made.

I went out one night with a couple of friends from high school and had a blast. I have seen Kat a couple of times since graduation but not many. She was the bestest friend a girl could have in high school. She knows far too many of my secrets and could have my go into hiding if she ever shares any of them, but that's OK, I think I have a few on her too! And Tommy, where do you even begin? He is a charmer who hasn't changed a bit since high school, well maybe a little. It is nice to see a guy who actually still loves his wife these days. If every man could look at their wife the way Tom looked at his, there would be a lot more happy wives out there, for sure. These are the relationships I realize how much I have missed. Call it selfishness or laziness or maybe a little of both, but these are the people that make me realize how important those people from your past still are or might be. Everybody grows up and moves on, but do we always have to?

I saw my nieces and nephews this trip too. I love them all so much. My brothers daughter is right in the middle of Brytt and Aubrey and if you put the three of them side by side, you can tell they are related. Which is totally crazy because I think my girls look just like Kent. And my nephew Sam, oh he is a pistol, but he is the cutest pistol ever. My sisters daughter is 14 and I love the attitude that teenagers get. It is nice to see that all of them get it and it isn't just a Webster trait. Brytt and Savannah would both just sit with their cell phones, not talking to anyone over 15 and not wanting to do anything with anyone under 12, hilarious. And then there is Hollywood aka Alex. Poor kid we made fun of his hair and gave him the nick name of Hollywood and it stuck, I hope he will forgive us all someday.

I love my family, don't see them as often as I like but it is probably better that way. We are a bunch of misfits who are probably more alike then we would care to admit. We are competitive, cranky, clean freaks, smart, gamblers, always looking for a good time. We love our spouses and our kids and I think we would do just about anything for each other, although none of us would admit it. I guess you might want to add stubborn to that list too, and I guess you better put adrenaline junkies on that list too, and maybe a bunch of gadget geeks! Oh and I can't forget Bridge player, and no it isn't my mother who plays Bridge!