On getting older . . .

So I turned 32 this week. Getting older hasn't really bothered me too much, although I find myself thinking I am 28 all the time. Certainly, I have never felt that my age has placed me in a "historical context" however, with the release of American Girl Doll's latest historical character, I have had to reevaluate this (in our home, history is understood in terms of which American Girl doll shares a similar historical reference -isn't that how everyone else understands history???)

To give an example, I can explain to the E's that my grandparents are were young during the the Great Depression (the era, AG's famous "Kit Kitridge" character is from) . No problem here, but this week the latest American Girl catalog arrived and they had released their latest "historical character" Julie Albright. So what is the problem??? Julie was a little girl in the 70's, yes, 1970's. But wait - I was a little girl in the 70's (granted a little younger than Julie's character - but I spent a good 5 years in that decade). I am not a historical character! Am I? Well I know this is a silly concern, and of course, I realize AG's marketing experts were trying to capitalize on parents nostalgia for their childhood. I just think it is a little premature to have a "historical character" from my childhood!

In protest, Julie Albright, will not be coming to the Moulton home anytime soon!

I don't mind birthdays at all, but they do remind me that my girls are growing up, and that does make my heart sink a bit! If I could just keep them small for a few more years before letting them grow another inch! The bitter sweetness of motherhood!

School Days

So Ellie is a big first grader now. She goes to Boulton (yes, rhymes with Moulton) Elementary. I promise last time I checked she was just a baby. Sometimes I still feel like someone is going to spot me at her school and call me out as a "a Real Mom Imposter". Parent Teacher conference still seems like something that my mom goes to on my behalf, not something Bryce and I attend regarding OUR daughter. Just strange!


Ellie is such a smart little whipper snapper! I told her that I would buy her the American Girl Doll "Kit" (the girls from the Great Depression Era, which is being released as a full length movies sometime around Christmas I think). Anyway . . . that I would get her Kit, when she reads her first 100pg. book. She is definately working on it. Plus she is just dying to read the Junie B. Jones books "by herself"! For those of you you who aren't familiar with Junie B. she is like the "Romona Quimby" of our generation.

Ellie is so smart and talented, I think maybe her most highly skilled talent lies in the art of manipulation though! WOW - how can a 6 year old be so tricky! But hey - hopefully she'll put her "people skills" (a more positive way of looking at it) to good use as she gets older! It is just so hard to get mad when she is so hilarious about everything. Dramatic you ask? Well the answer would be yes! (of course she gets that gene from Bryce - what a drama King that guy is! hee hee).

I have had to adjust to full day school though quite a bit. I really wasn't prepared for her to be gone that long! The bus doesn't drop her off in the afternoon until 10 min. to 4:00pm. And with Emma in preschool in the morning 3 days a week, I find myself a little lonely sometimes! (except right now, when my darling E's are screaming at each other, I just block it out and go to a happy place !)

I am SO excited for my darling Sister-in-Law Paige to move back up to Utah, so I can spend some time with with my only Nephew and Niece (Max and Kate). I might just have to steal them away from their Mommy here and there!.

Bye Bye Baby

Can it be???
How can my littlest one be off to preschool? (This is actually preschool, take II). We tried a Montessori school last year, but she wasn't such a fan (understatment) so we scrapped that plan after two months. And I am so glad we did! Our children are children for so precious little time, that I am so grateful, I had that extra year of "mommy school" time (what we would call the time we spent together when older sis was off at Kindergarten or preschool).

Ok, I can't lie, having those 9 hours a week do provide me with a little sanity time, but honestly, it is bittersweet. Next year she'll be in Kindergarten, and then first grade and that is 5 days a week until almost 4:00 (I know, not a news flash or anything - but as I've realized with Ellie, thats a lot of time, and frankly, if I had to choose - I'd rather be with the E's!). Plus there's no going back - this is the beginning of the rest of their lives AWAY from MOM!

We definately hope that we will be able to add more to our family of 4, but for now, having my baby Emma be a big preschooler (had her first field trip today) is a little bittersweet. But let's all take a collective "ahhhh" at how cute she is! (Don't gett annoyed at how miopic I might seem about motherhood here, although adorable, and untradable - The E's do induce frequent bouts of total insanity - which I am farely certain is a common emotion among mothers world wide). But give my girls up for a more sane life - NEVER!

Lets Start With Christmas Cards

Well, as with most things in my life, completion is an issue!

HOW MANY PROJECTS ARE ON MY
"TO-DO" LIST???

Well, lets just say, do I ever check things off? (unfortunately usually not is the correct answer). I am trying to accept that my expectations can be a little unrealistic, but honestly Lauren . . . I've just got to get it a bit more together.

SO..... I thought I would start this blog as double duty - keeping in touch with the world (and of course showcasing my cute duaghters!), and clearing my head of a few leftover "to do's" that are lingering around deep in my noggin and contributing to the chaos.

So Merry Christmas 2006

Bryce and I had actually gotten our Christmas Cards all ready to be sent (with just a few days to spare), but alas, some how they never quite made it into the mail. So I am just letting you all know that we really were wishing you a Merry Christmas AND a Happy New Year (and I think the photo above, was possibly the one we used in the card - but hey it's been a while, but it looked something like that!)

Fabulous!!!

- Send out Chriistmas Cards : Check.

I'll really try to send the paper version this go around

Hopefully our lives will be interesting enough to continue "blogging"

Loving

Lauren