I Remember

I remember how hard babies are: colicky, demanding, fussy, refuse to let you sleep babies.

I remember how hard toddlers are: tantrum throwing, stubborn, willful, refuse to be potty trained toddlers.

I remember how hard elementary schoolers are: drive them endlessly, absentminded, tattletale, know it all, “Hey mom, my science fair project is due tomorrow” elementary schoolers.

I remember how hard teenagers are: eye rolling, back talking, door slamming, "I want it now" teenagers.

But my God people, they grow up so damn fast. And if you’re lucky, if you did everything in your power to help them, teach them, ground them and set them free? You will remember them being this.damn.happy.

Prom

I just had to show you these pictures from Prom last Saturday. (And can someone please explain to me this trend of having Prom so early? Ridiculous!)

Precious Youngest is in green and the B.F.F. (a.k.a. Precious Middle) is in brown.






I know, I know, pictures of headless high school students are weird. Still, aren't they cute?





All the young ladies were fabulous in their vibrantly colored dresses. So glad we've moved on from black!




I have very fond memories of the dances in high school. Do you?

The Other Daughters

It appears I have confused my legion of fans two readers with the sudden appearance of additional daughters. Their first names both happen to start with a “J”. I thought the clever use of "parenthesis" around their "names" would alleviate confusion. I was wrong. Anyhoo, I promised their stories, and so it shall be.

Each of my girls has a best friend; these girls are like sisters. I consider them part of the family. They feel the same. Precious Oldest met "Precious Eldest" in a computer class the summer before their Freshman year. It was BFFs at first sight. She is a few months older than Precious Oldest, so I'm calling her "Precious Eldest". We have known “Precious Middle” all of her life. She was Precious Youngest's first friend. (If you call babies playing on blankets next to each other friends.) She was born nine months before Precious Youngest, so I'm calling her “Precious Middle”.

They all attend(ed) the same Catholic high school. About a week before graduation, the Senior class has a retreat. Each parent writes a letter to their child and the child receives the letter(s) at the retreat. I wrote a letter to "Precious Eldest" too. I will do the same for "Precious Middle". Because I can not imagine our family without them.

They've eaten here, showered here, slept here, stayed up all damn night here, cried here, laughed here. They've spent countless days at the lake with us, gone on vacation with us, gone to church with us, gone to concerts with us. Through them I see my daughters with different eyes. And whoo boy, sometimes I need that.

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In other new, it snowed a bit here today so I "had to leave the office early because the roads are bad". This will not however, stop me from going to the Billy Joel concert with the Saint tonight! Wheee!