Dear Moms,

I know at times you grow weary with all of the diaper changes, feedings, and sleepless nights.  I truly do understand.  I was there, too!  But, I have good news!  This, too, shall pass!   Moms, your work is not going unnoticed at this point in time, although it may feel like it.  You are working toward a greater goal.  You will get there, and one day soon you will see a light at the end of the tunnel!  It only gets better and better!  I promise!

I absolutely love being a mother to two beautiful girls! My oldest daughter is 17 years old, while my youngest daughter is ten years old.

I’ve been through all of the late night feedings, blow out diaper changes, colic, and RSV (with my youngest being hospitalized with this at just two months old – very scary, I’ll have you know!).

I’ve been through teething, potty training, the biting stage my oldest daughter went through when she was in daycare (yikes!), to same day surgery when my oldest daughter when she had an accident on a slide at the playground. The same day surgery I mentioned with my oldest daughter on a slide at the playground.The child who went down before her hadn’t yet gotten up, but decided to do so right as my daughter approached the end of the slide! The top of the child’s head caught my daughter’s chin as she was sliding down to the end while the other child stood up! Believe me, ladies, this is NOT a phone call you want to receive! “There was an accident, and she’s bleeding …” That is ALL I heard before I threw the phone down and raced as fast as I could to the daycare to see my daughter’s tongue laying open. Off to the Ear, Nose, & Throat Specialist we went who said they could stitch it in their office without putting my daughter under, OR I could opt to do same day surgery which would be less traumatic. Um, the latter, PLEASE!! Even that was traumatic, though, as I went into the recovery room afterwards to see my precious little girl laying there with an IV in her little arm and tongue stitched up, still groggy from the surgery yet strong willed enough to insist the IV be taken out. It couldn’t be, of course, at that point in time, but she tried everything to get us to take it out. She cried, and we cried with her…finally realizing the biggest discomfort was the piece of tape they wrapped around her arm. Who would have thought something so simple would have been such a big source of pain? I was able to remove it, and she was finally able to rest.

Oh yes, ladies, I’ve seen a lot through the years with my girls.

When I was pregnant with my youngest, we received a phone call from the school that my oldest daughter was playing on the playground when another accident happened! Oh dear! My poor daughter was, once again, just trying to have fun when it went in the wrong direction. She was playing on the monkey bars. She was proudly making her way across when she lost her grip and crashed to the ground…but not before her little mouth hit the top of another child’s head, knocking her two front teeth out! I cringe every time I think of this day. I was very much nine months pregnant and received the phone call. We rushed to her side and found her now toothless smile greeting us as we entered the office. This little girl was THRILLED at her new look. Her parents, not so much!! Check out the picture of my darling daughter holding her new sister, both showing their little gums as they smiled for the camera a few months after. I didn’t think her permanent teeth would ever come in, but thank God it was only her baby teeth that were knocked out by the accident!

We’ve had multiple tea parties through the years with both of my girls, played dress up, and had “silly time” while dancing around to music from a ballerina pop up jewelry box (my husband included,even dancing around with a tutu…that’s just what daddies do).  An all time favorite memory of mine is last August right before school started back.  We intended on making the most of the last little bit of summer that we had left.  My youngest daughter and I had a tea party where we dressed up in almost matching attire. Ah, but the outfit surely was not complete without our heels and crowns.  We were the Queen and the Princess at the Royal Palace having tea with our pinky fingers fully extended, of course.   Oh, we had a great time that day!  Thankfully, my oldest daughter captured this “Kodak moment.”

Through the years with my oldest, we’ve gone through experimenting with makeup, the right age to start shaving your legs, and painting nails over and over again (I’m pretty sure we’re professionals now!).   My youngest daughter has now reached the age to where she’s inquiring as to when she, too, can shave her legs.  Oh, Heaven help us!   She’s practicing applying makeup, too, putting on her mascara right alongside us.  I don’t let her wear it out, usually, but it is funny watching her parade around after she’s “put on her face.”

My parents, who have always been such an active and important part of my daughters’ lives, have shared in these moments with them as well. They are so incredibly close to their grandparents, and it thrills my heart completely!

We’ve been through the whole right of passage of my oldest daughter getting her permit and driver’s license. THAT is a scary experience. Imagine your daughter (or son) years from now behind the wheel for the very first time while you sit beside her (or him). I promise your foot will go through the floorboard as you try to apply the brakes FOR them. Luckily we survived, and I have to say she is a very good driver now and is responsible behind the wheel.  We have a while before we have to worry about that with my youngest daughter.  Thank you, God!

And now…with my oldest daughter, we are looking at colleges and shopping for prom dresses! She’s a Senior and this is a very important year in her life. She graduates in May of 2015.  Oh my!  How can this be?!   We just ordered her cap, gown, and graduation invitations as well as her Senior portraits!  It’s happening … faster than I’d like it to!

My youngest daughter is in fourth grade. I am perfectly fine with that as I do NOT want my children to grow up so fast and am actually thankful that they ARE so far apart in age right now! Time is just moving way too quickly for my liking. I truly find myself asking, “Where did the time go?!”

I’ve vowed not to be too clingy with my youngest daughter as my oldest daughter seeks her independence and self-identity apart from me. That is hard, ladies. Let me just tell you … that is so very hard!

But I’m getting a second chance here to do all of these fun, and scary, things again with my youngest daughter.  Yes, I get to experiment with hair and makeup with her, too!  I get to watch her get all dolled up with sparkly earrings and lacy dresses, just for her to strip it all off and go straight to her jeans, cowgirl boots, tee-shirt, and hat as she goes outside to get her horse ready to ride.

I get to watch her in this in-between-stage right now.  She still likes to use her imagination to play, and she loves to imitate what she sees in a movie.  She had a bow and arrow like the character in Brave, and now she pretends she’s in The Hunger Games.  I love how she puts her heart and soul into her play, too.

And then, there is her very serious side as she’s making ten her own.  She’s growing, she’s learning, she’s exploring, and she is becoming her own person with her unique personality.  She makes me smile so wide and melts my heart as I watch her in action.  She is also very serious when it comes to her ponies, Petunia & Trigger!  She is the best little cowgirl around, too!

Right now she still wants to cuddle with me.  Pretty soon she will slip into the “don’t show affection in front of my friend’s, Mom” mode.  Oh Lordy, help me when that happens.  But, for now, I am enjoying every single moment when she wants to come sit next to me, cuddle with me, and share a blanket with me as we snuggle in to watch a movie.  It is rare that I have these moments with my 17 year old, but when I do, I still treasure them!  It means the world to me to be able to spend time with my girls and to know that they actually want to spend time with ME, too!!

I am very proud of both of my girls! I will share more with you about my journey with these two Girly Girls and Tom Boys in future posts.

For now, I’ll leave you with these words:

Brace yourself, ladies!  The best is yet to come!  Hold on tight and enjoy the ride!