New Adventures, New Blog

I started this blog (as most mommy blogs start) as a sort of diary to chronicle Lauren's early years.  It was fun and I'm so grateful for those early blog posts so I can relive those hectic days.  I also wanted to share photos and stories with faraway family and friends.  The past few years the blog posts have been replaced by Facebook and Instagram, which fit nicely into my increasingly busy schedule.  How quickly the years have past. I carried Lauren up to bed tonight and she was all legs and arms. When did my baby become a kid?

I've also felt less inclined to share with the world the minutiae of our lives...with strangers who happened to stop by (I still unbelievably get several hits a day by people clicking through from other blogs that I was featured on a few years ago).  As Lauren grew, I became more protective of her, aware that these moments are private and best kept between us.  I had to be mindful that Lauren is her own person and she has ownership over her memories too.

Today I made this blog private..eventually I may invite close friends and family to view but for now I'll keep it as my diary again.  There's so much happening and time is slipping through my fingers.  I need to write these things down for me.  For Lauren.

When Lauren walked out the door this morning, she was headed for her last day of Kindergarten.  In the same dress she wore as the first day, she skipped to school hand in hand with Peter. Off to see her friends (Ysabel, Iniyah, Aria, Kaylee, Peyton, Cameron..) and spend one last full day of class with her beloved Mrs. Gibson.

She has no idea how important this day is.  That is one of her last days of innocence.  First grade just  doesn't sound as sweet as being a kindergartener.  No more backwards p's and crayons and being ok if a word's not spelled right.  No more skipping to school and being sad that it's the last day of school.


For all the things from kindergarten I will mourn there is so much to look forward to.  We will read and learn and play and make art together.  We will have backyard picnics and swim and harvest strawberries in our garden.  We will bake cakes and learn to bike and shop and travel.  Bring on the summer!  First Grade can wait!

 First day of school on the left.  She's a couple of inches taller and a whole lot smarter.  Her original lunchbox broke.  It was too big anyway.  The most it ever carried was a juice box and a container of goldfish crackers.