Monday, August 17, 2015

2, 8, 4, 30, 9

It has been over 2 years since my last blog post. In that time we have moved once, celebrated much and changed rapidly. We bought Mark's parents' home in Woodbury last summer and have slowly allowed changes to transform it into our home. We enjoyed our first Christmas here this past winter. We cozied up to a warm fireplace many cold nights. In the Spring my gardening hands were tested and I would say this time I failed but Barbara's thoughtful planning and meticulous care allowed most growing things to live through my new guardianship. We have met new neighbors and celebrated a years' worth of birthdays at this address. 

Lily turned 8 in July. She had a fantastic mermaid themed pool party. 11 girls were present for the fun. Going from 7 to 8 has been the biggest leap in my estimation so far. She acts and feels like a young lady now. She is interested in alone time with older female relatives, makeup, slumber parties, clothing and electronics. She still validates her brother's existence on an hourly basis but there is something more 'babysitter' and less 'big sister' to it now. She reads at a 6th grade level, does math with ease and thoroughly enjoys school. She can swim like a fish (or mermaid) and LOVES Minecraft and YouTube videos. 

Finn turned 4 in August and has been giving us a run for our money. He is the epitome of a  little brother and is (as my dad says proudly) all boy. He loves superheroes, video games and creating little worlds of his own. He doesn't ever walk, he sprints. He talks a mile a minute and no story ever really ends. Things he experiences get wound into the fantasy worlds and characters and people become interchangeable. There are names you won't recognize and words you can't understand but he is telling the damn story regardless. He eats like a trucker and needs constant reminders to be polite. He still sneaks into our bed at night/early morning and for that I am so grateful. My last baby has very little residual baby left and the tiny flecks still remaining are absolute blessings to me.

This year I turned 30. I have never felt nervous or sad before a birthday before. I am a big believer in BIG celebrations. This age was momentous and towered over me like a pall on my youth and vitality. I was told horror stories of bodies giving up on people, metabolisms evaporating and wrinkled skin with graying hair.I was going to wake up ancient, flabby decrepit crone and there was nothing to be done about it. Luckily and realistically not everything went to hell in a hand basket. On the contrary, Mark planned and executed a surprise birthday with so much love and happiness that I call it my best birthday ever. This is a feat you well know if you've met me. Samantha and I (my bff from middle school) share a birthday and would SCREAM excitedly from one end of the halls to the other at each other... so there you go. In essence turning 30 reminded me to take things in stride and make myself happy. Being the mom and wife and Kate (or Cake) I have grown into in these three decades keeps getting better so bring on the next stage.

Mark and I will celebrate our 9 year wedding anniversary in a few short weeks. This summer has taken us on separate vacations, work schedules that conflict and general hubbub and bustle has limited our time together. We reject that wholly. Our best selves are when we are together. We have started a routine of alternating morning runs and joined forces to coach Lily's soccer team. Living with a man that has become my touchstone on all things big and small has been the best decision I ever made. My children, my life and my sanity stem from him and I will be lucky to celebrate our marriage every September for the rest of our lives.

Noting my lapse in blogging made me feel quite amiss and rereading old posts reminded me of small things the kiddos would do that I had forgotten. Here is me hoping to do better this year. Cheers.
 
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