and now it is 2017.

This is exactly what I didn't want to do - have months of catch up, months fly by with nothing to say, but I guess this is also the exact situation I want to be in... a boring normal life.

I started 2017 with one goal: to say no. I want to do things that I feel is enriching us all as a family. I want to sit at home and read books instead of finding a sitter to hang out with friends. I want to eat at home more, use the time we have leisurely instead of rushing everyone to bed. I like when A and S get home at night and I let them freely spend the rest of their evening just chatting instead of having to do a ton of work. I am saying yes to photography that I really want to do, I am saying yes to sitting on my couch with best friends and wine, I am saying yes to people who I see as actually adding value to my life. But I have spent years and years "knowing everyone" and realized recently that everyone does not know me how I would like friends to actually know me. So far it is working out seamlessly. I actually have date nights with friends and their kids - and get to see my kids light up WITH me. It really is such a joy.

I have always had this "fear of missing out" gene in my body. Or a guilt that people will be like "where's amanda" but it isn't even necessary lol How narcissistic to think that, honestly. No one cares and that is okay. And the ones who DO care, understand. I am still spending time with friends that I adore, but its just on the best terms ever.

Reese started her Dabrafenib and we are almost at 3 months taking it now, morning and night. She has no side effects really - maybe the weird skin on her feet and fingers, but that is it. Her MRI is in 2 weeks and I am honestly excited to see it. She feels good, looks good. I am hoping for miracles.

Holidays came and went, of course. Thanksgiving, Christmas, family and fun. The pictures will tell the stories in itself. EJ was home all break and so we really got to spend a lot of quality time hanging out and just being lazy together. We had the CCBD christmas party, performed at "home for the holidays" in downtown mckinney, and then, all of a sudden, Aidan turned 10 and Corbin turned 3. And all my babies became official preschool age and it was beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time. Our family, as a whole, is growing up. A child in double digits seems insane to me. Just as insane as it is to not have a baby to tote around. How did we get here so quickly.

Aidan and Sawyer had two separate dance conventions and competitions. While dance takes up a lot of time, seeing their eyes light up, the smiles on their faces, everything, when they are on stage, makes it all worth it. They truly love it and that to me makes it easy to drive them around everywhere lol The studio is doing "Annie" this year as the spring recital/production and Aidan gets to be Annie --- and I will likely melt into a pride induced puddle on the floor when I see it the first time. She works so hard and it is going to be an amazing spring.

I also started a 365 for this year and it has been seriously amazing for me. I wanted to pick up my camera more and now with starting a Facebook page about it, everyone is joining me and it seriously is such a huge motivation. Years ago, when I did a 365 for a few years in a row, I realized that there was beauty in the monotonous. I have spent years, now, finding beauty in the busy. But now that we are somewhat boring again (lol), it has been so wonderful to document such normal things. Most people know that lifestyle photography is where my heart lies - but it does so, first, at my own home.

Here are my first 16 days, plus some in december. Which you can follow along with these (and others) on instagram, of course.

 

time passes.

I really can't believe that it is October. and also that I haven't blogged here since July. This is the first time (and last time) in years that this has happened and it's almost because there's not much to report.

But then again, here I am sitting in my new house because we moved, after sending my kids to school to a new year that I didn't post about, and coming up on yet another MRI. We went to Colorado on an amazing trip with friends, we had a dance convention in Oklahoma, and the tiny details in between are a laundry list long because, well, a lot can happen in 3 months... I wish I had written it all down here, though.

Live and learn.

Reese is feeling awesome. First grade is amazing and she is learning so much and seemingly catching on a bit quicker than last year. We are in somewhere of 95 or so weeks of vinblastine... no real side effects at all and it seems so surreal that we've been on this journey for almost 4 years. Reese graduated from PT at school today (officially friday when she has her yearly ARD). The therapist remind me what the goals of her first ARD was.... "to get off of a chair on her own". ha. She couldn't even walk... but now, graduating. She still has OT and speech and adaptive PE if needed, but overall, there's nothing more they need to do on their end.

Aidan and Sawyer are both on dance company and in 4th/3rd grade. Aidan's favorite things are her GT classes. Sawyer's would be math, I think. and wherever she can socialize. They both went to Oklahoma for dance and rocked my socks off with their smiles and talent. Aidan was a scholarship finalist for her age group and she was so proud of herself.

Miller and Corbin are both in gymnastics preschool and loving it. 2 days a week I actually have time alone - which, by the way, I hadn't had since Aidan was born. I have had a baby at home with me every single time I sent another off to preschool, but not this time. It was a strange thing at first, but I seem to fill the days with everything that I forget otherwise and by the time it is pick up, I feel as if time has flown.

Aidan, Sawyer, Reese and I drove to Colorado (trail west) for a retreat with our wonderful friends Samantha, Avery, and AJ. The pictures should sum it up nicely, but it was just a great time in the outdoors appreciating all that God had made. We jeeped, we zip lined, we rode horses, we sang songs and played games. We laughed a lot and ate a lot and overall just had a smiley good time.

While I was in Colorado, putzing during nap time on the internet, I sent EJ a link to a house. Long story short: he looked, he liked, we sold to a friend wanting our floor plan, we bought, we moved, we are here. We have only been living here a week and it is seriously a dream come true. I loved my old house, but we bought historic this time and it has so much character and life inside. The kids are just in love as well - which makes it that much better. I am like 85% put together on the inside of this new place and so that keeps me at peace.

I guess this is more of an informational post... I need to post the pics and get out of here and work on things I really want to say for my next post. MRI a week from tomorrow.

IG: theskelteseven