Biker Chick

There are times I feel like I walk a balance line of posting too much about one child (Caroline) and not enough about others.  I love them all.  And sadly, I wish I could say they all got their "first" year on the blog with all the cute stuff that they have done over that year but that just isn't true.

Right about the time I had Jack I quit writing on this blog and I completely regret it.  I was a mom to two really young kids who were 21 months apart and trying my best to start a photography business that was needed at the time to boost our income.  Not to mention that I loved the challenge of photography especially in the newborn niche and wanted to master it.  The family and the business took all my time and I just didn't want to sit at the computer any longer than needed after editing pictures.  So the blog took a backseat until it was nonexistent.

I found this post (click here) about this cute little guy and then nothing for the next few years.  I write this blog mainly for me and my family.  Despite being a photographer and taking some pictures (mainly posed and not as many as you may think) I want a place for the kids to go to look at "picture albums" and remember our life in pictures and in their stories in my words.  

I'm not in a lot of the pictures since I am behind the camera but I'm mainly the one writing our stories so where they don't see me they can hear me cheering them on and enjoying their childhood.  Sometimes I need reminders too.  Reminders that I'm not a horrible mom and that when I lose it out of frustration that it is a small part of my experience of motherhood that I'm doing my best with all of these little ones and my best is good enough.  There is no reason to keep up with the figurative Mrs. Jones because I have yet to meet one that has a 6, 5, 4, and 2 year old do more that we are.  This blog is also a good reminder to listen to my mothering instincts of what I can handle, they can handle, and we together can handle and not do too much for our age and stage in life.  Enjoy what we can do. Because if we do what we can't do we ALL get frustrated and that isn't fun for anyone.

I'm not sure what brought this on maybe it was that my 6 1/2 year old learned to ride a bike today with no training wheels.  I was so proud of her!  Even after a few falls she said " Mom, I just told myself nothing is going to get in my way I going to do this today." And she did it.  Super proud Mommy moment.  Not only did she ride around her Bebe's culdesac but she rode it all the way home too! At one point she seemed to be flying she was going so fast.  I had the young two in the double stroller and we had to run (not jog!) to keep up with her.

But then it was followed by my this voice in my head.  Yeah...but don't tell anyone because she should have learned when she was 5 probably.  I'm sure it is Satan...literally.   Telling lies and stealing joy.  It's his motto.  I'm already mad at him this week...I should be every week.  I would say why but really I don't want to remember why I was this week years from now so I won't.  His deeds don't need to be glorified.  

What I want to remember forever is this:

"And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." Philippians 4:8 NLT