I walked into your bedroom the other day and you were both sprawled out reading the blog books I had printed for you and laughing hysterically. It never crossed my mind that you would enjoy reading them at 10 years old. I speculated that maybe, someday in your 30's, you would get a chuckle out of reading some of your childhood memories through the eyes of your mother. You both stated how much you love them and how you wished I would continue documenting these memories. So ... at your request, I will do my best!
Too much has happened in the past 5 or 6 years to detail the events of your amazing lives so I will do a brief recap:
1) The most tragic and life changing thing was the passing of your beautiful, fun loving, ever so witty Nana. She passed away on March 24, 2014, 4 days before my 40th birthday and one month and one day before her 70th birthday. It was horrible. It all happened so fast, except the last 3 days of her life. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's 2 years prior to her death. We knew something was going on for years prior to the diagnosis but she was the master disguiser. She could trick the doctors and knew the right things to say to avoid further testing. You girls probably remember the day she was actually diagnosed because it was the first time you had every seen me cry. You were 5 years old and we went with Paw Paw and Nana to her doctor's appointment at the Neurology clinic. Nana and Paw Paw walked us to the car afterwards, Nana helped you get buckled in and we said our goodbyes. I maintained my composure until they walked away. I cried hysterically the whole way home. You guys were perfectly silent. You were too young to realize the enormity of the situation but on some level you knew things would never be the same. We spent the next 18 months spending as much time as we could with Nana. We took her with us everywhere and even went on a few trips. She was still Nana but was slipping away a little bit at a time. Her life revolved around the two of you, just like it always had since the day you were born. The pure unconditional love that you shared with her was beautiful to watch. Although I'd give anything to have her with us today, I wouldn't trade the time we had with her for nothing. I fear that as you get older you will forget how much you loved her and how close you were to her. But part of me is glad those memories are fading because you are not sad everyday like you were every day and night in the months after her passing. Without her in our daily lives there is a giant piece of all of our hearts missing.
2) Our precious Ruby passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on December 23, 2015. We are not sure what happened, her Vet suspects brain cancer or some type of neurological disorder. I happened fast without any suffering or hard decisions to make. We were with her when she passed away and we brought her home. She looked so beautiful. Daddy made her a "tomb" as you guys call it and we painted it with happy colors and wrote her sweet love notes. We buried her in our backyard near her favorite spot on her hill. It was a sad, sad day and we still miss her every single day. Paw Paw came to comfort us and be with us and Conner helped Daddy dig the hole. She was an amazing dog that gave us 12 years of unconditional love and countless laughs. We laugh about what a bad puppy she was by eating all of our remote controls or anything electronic, chewing off the side post of our brand new bed and how crazy she got around other dogs. But boy oh boy did she grow up to be spectacular! She was the best traveler. And we were so worried about how she would do with you guys when we brought you home from the hospital. We would bring home your dirty blankets from the NICU to let her sniff them. She fell in love with you both the second we brought you home and never left your side. She made it her life mission to protect you for the 9 1/2 years you had with her. She was our first baby and will forever be in our hearts.
3) You have both survived pre K, Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade and 3rd grade at Sacred Heart. You both kicked butt in school thus far with all A's. Third grade was tough but with a little hard work and perseverance, we survived. And I say "we" because it was a joint effort. Hassie Clare - your love for reading began in the 2nd grade. Now you read as many books as you can and as often as you can. Mainly so that you can take AR tests and get the highest number of AR points - you are very competitive:) Quinn - you do what is required of you to meet your goals in reading but you excel at Math. You are both very good students and at the top of your class.
4) Sports!!! My or my .. where do I begin. Here are the sports on your resume to date - gymnastics, dance, softball, tennis, basketball, volleyball and a few golf camps. We have weeded them down to softball, basketball and tennis. It was heart breaking to see you give up gymnastics but you reached the maximum level without going competitive, which means you would have to give up all of your other sports. Quinn - you were stunning on the balance bean. Hassie Clare - you were unbelievable on the floor exercise. You are both AMAZING athletes. Your natural ability amazes everyone. I love coaching you in softball and basketball, although it has its challenges. But no matter what, I wouldn't trade it for anything. I can't wait to see what the future holds!
5) Pool - Daddy and I decided it was time to fulfill Mommy's life long dream of having our very own swimming pool. We started construction in Sept. 20013 and finished in April 2014. We have enjoyed it immensely and feel very blessed. When it is just the 4 of us out there it really feels like we are a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of life. There are no phones, ipads, chores...although Daddy recently added a TV under the patio to watch our beloved Cardinal games. The quality time we spend together in that pool as a family is priceless. It should be paid off by the time you start middle school!
6) Vacations - We have spent our vacation time and money on trips to the lake (we bought a boat in 2009 .. I think), our pool, visiting friends and a few trips to the beach. We got lucky - you guys LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the lake. For the past 2 years you have picked a lake trip over having a party and getting a present. This makes me so proud! From an early age you both would rather spend time with us at the lake for your birthday then anything else. This tickles my heart. I try to make it special. For your 9th birthday we rented this adorable little cabin at Greers Ferry Lake in Arkansas. We boated, hiked and jumped off cliffs. I love taking you to a store (grocery store, convenient store, gift store ... whatever we come across) and telling you "go crazy .... get anything you want." Right now you pick junk food, mostly candy, and sugary cereal. This year for your birthday you both wanted to go back to Greer Ferry Lake. We rented a condo in Fairfield Bay that was probably really nice 30 years ago. We had an awesome time and it was our first trip with our new puppy Georgia .... more on her later. We spent a lot of time on the lake, playing on the water and jumping off cliffs. Especially Quinnie .. the higher the better. She is a dare devil at heart!
This recap wasn't exactly brief but I summed up all the big events as best as I could. Seeing how much pleasure it brings you guys to read your "blog books" has really encouraged me to pick this back up. Even if I only get one entry a week and two entries a month ..... it will be better than nothing!!! One thing that hasn't changed in the past 5 or 6 years, or since my last blog entry, I still wonder daily how I got so darn lucky by having 2 of the most beautiful, sensitive, caring, helpful, loving, funny kids in the whole world! Being your Mother is the greatest gift EVER! I'm thankful for you both each and every day ... even when you make me turn into a crazy lady!
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