I’ve been a mother for over six years now.

In all my years of motherhood, I have to say the biggest impression have left on me about being a mom is how FUN it is. No, I haven’t developed sudden Mommy Amnesia, forgetting about the lack of sleep, the diapers, and the sibling fights (probably because they all still exist in my life). But the overarching theme in my motherhood experience right now is fun.

It is so fun to watch Fuller learn new things. I enjoy watching him build lego creations, listening to him read books to his brother, and just hearing him talk about what is churning in his imagination.

Tebow never fails to make me smile. He loves to cuddle with me and it is fun to see him settle into his own person who enjoys playing with cars, looking at books, and help unload the dishwasher (who cares if the dishes are still dirty?).

This is my mom, my sisters, and me. Can you tell who is who? I’m older than Fuller in this picture, I think Austina is Fuller’s age. And Sarah-Ginny is probably a little older than Tebow. But it makes me wonder… can you tell if my mom is having fun? Because it certainly looks like it too me. I when I think back on being a kid, I remember a lot of fun. No, I haven’t developed Adult Daughter amnesia and forgotten about the misunderstandings of childhood, the angst of being a teenager, or the desperate desire of fleeing the nest, but I’m certainly at a point where I remember the fun I had as a kid with my mom.

She took me on trips, encouraged my creativity, and put me on a path out of the nest filled with light and a hand outstretched that I could always go back and hold if I needed more help.

There was this one time, on a trip back to Atlanta when we lived in Arizona, when my mom and her best childhood friend took us kids on a tour of Mom’s old homes. These were houses her dad had built, the places where she was a girl and went through her own childhood misunderstandings, navigated the teenage angst, and flew the nest on a path leading her to Daddy… and in my memory it was horrible. My poor mom and Aunt Jean were so excited to drive us to Atlanta neighborhoods but they were driving a van filled with tired kids who just wanted to eat or get out of the car or something other than look at old houses. How fun was that?

Well at the time, it really wasn’t. But now that I look back, I know it was fun. And you know how I know? I want to do the same thing to my kids!

Motherhood is fun!

[tags]motherhood, fun[/tags]

Late last night I was driving home from Asheville, counting the miles until I was pulling into my parking spot. And once I was here, I worked quickly to get Tebow and our stuff inside so I could get us both to bed. Even with sleeping late and taking a nap this afternoon, I’m still exhausted. Physically I’m tired. Mentally I am dealing with the feelings that come soon after a conference, the low of being home and away from all the wonderful women I met and interacted with.

I have business cards to go through and twitter accounts to follow, pictures to process, and thoughts to compile. But right now, I am resting and enjoying my entire family. I spent a good portion of the day at a minute clinic with Damon who has an ear infection, but it was still good to reconnect with him and Fuller.

And tomorrow, I bring the vingettes and recap from Type A Mom. Right now I can tell you, it was amazing and affirming.

[tags]blogging conference, type a mom[/tags]

Here it is three weeks into the 2009 season and I haven’t really mentioned our excitement and travels. It’s a blogging block I’ve been trying to deal with- repetition. As a personal blogger who does a lot of the same things every year, I find myself not really wanting to blog about “that” again. “That” can be anything, from football games to Christmas.

But this weekend, when we traveled to Auburn for the weekend, something different happened. Something I had to blog about.

Damon and I were fortunate enough to leave Tebow and Fuller with my Uncle’s family so we could go to the game alone. Originally we thought we would have to take Tebow with us, but circumstances changed and we found ourselves on the Auburn campus touring the tailgate areas and lining up for Tiger Walk.

The weather was uncertain, but we were prepared with some ponchos to help with what ever moisture came our way. And I thought it might rain, but I have to admit, I never expected what happened to happen.

We got into the stadium with in an hour before kick off. As the clock counted down, with about 30 minutes left, we saw the black skies move toward us. When the rain came, I thought I was prepared with my poncho. I was wearing my camera across my body, so it was covered as well. My small backpack had my second lens and spare battery, with other things like wallet, lipstick, and some swag we picked up outside the stadium. It was on my back and under the poncho.

When the rain came, it started with a few drops and suddenly the skies opened up and visibility became a challenge. Then the Voice of Auburn said because of lightening we had to clear the stadium and take cover. Damon and I picked our stadium seats up and started to make our way out, along with pretty much every one else in the stadium (except the student section).

Then I learned how crappy my poncho was. My hood wouldn’t stay up so my head was drenched. And the neck area was letting in water, soaking my shirt. I have no idea how long it took to get to cover, but it seemed like quiet some time. This allowed my shirt to get even wetter, and as the water seeped in, it also managed to get my camera a bit too wet*.

Once we made it to the concourse, we just had to stand around waiting. The operating procedure allowed people back into the stadium 30 minutes after the last lightening strike. We took longer, waiting for the crowd to thin out.

It was quite the experience. When the game started (about an hour after kickoff should have happened) it rained a little more, but nothing like before. We saw an amazing game, celebrated victory, and got a little chilly in our wet clothes.

Fun was had and now I have an Auburn football memory that doesn’t really run into the other games I have been to in the past two years. (The next home game I go to will be the Furman game in November. Hope it is exciting but dry.)

*deserves its own entry
[tags]Auburn, Auburn football, thunderstorms[/tags]

As we pack up to leave for our annual family vacation, I am thinking about how it is Tebow’s first trip there and what kinds of pictures I’ll capture this year. I was looking for the 2005 pictures in order to jog my memory of what Fuller was like that summer. Of course he was older than Tebow is today, but it was still a great walk down memory lane.

And it is interesting to see how I’ve changed as well. I have a deeper interest in digital photography, the evidence being my change in cameras and the amount of photos we have uploaded to flickr. I’m uploading the 2005 July 4th pictures now and can’t wait to add 2009 pictures later.

I have to admit, I’m not a coffee snob. This is why it was perfectly natural for me to head to Wal-Mart and found the Folger’s Coffee Singles. I even found creamer in single packets. I knew I could boil water on Damon’s camp stove, so I was set. Or so I thought.

In the stress fun of packing for the one night in the great outdoors, I neglected to pack a coffee cup for myself. In fact, I didn’t pack any cups for us to drink from. Fuller and I had our Camelbak’s and Damon had his Coke Zero. But I just forgot about the coffee cup.

So, the next morning, I used the smallest pot from Damon’s cook kit and had a Grande coffee.

Next time, I’ll make sure to pack a mug. And maybe some cups, just in case.

I’ve been deleting pictures and editing those I want to keep with Picnik. One of the features on picnik is a frame called “Before & After.”

I really like seeing the image that came out of my camera and the one I eventually turn it into. In this case, I think the picture looks better in the after. And I have many more to keep working on… after I get some more sleep. I’m still on vacation.

I’ve decided to start a photo project to be completed while I am here in Wichita Falls, Texas. I’m scouring downtown (the area where my parents live) for interesting letters of the alphabet. I’ve done this type of project before, in my own neighborhood.

I thought it would be fun to look beyond the action of the vacation (which there hasn’t been much of yet, but then again, I already have over 150 pictures to upload to flickr) and see some of the scenery surrounding us. Wichita Falls’ downtown is a bit on the “not dead yet” side, with gaps where stores used to be, leaving crumbling tile on the ground to mingle with the dandelions. Some of the buildings are being revitalized (like my parent’s apartment building) and a few have businesses still pumping some life downtown. It makes for some interesting glimpses into the past and the present.

If this goes well, I might try and repeat it in other cities I visit as well. I wonder where I can find the letter “Z” in Wetumpka, AL?

I even got a nap today. Sure, naps can be had at home, but here, at my parent’s apartment, I can sleep and not feel guilty for the full dishwasher and laundry that needs folding.

Tomorrow, while my mom is at work, we might leave the apartment for a walk and some picture taking. But for now, I’m resting and easing in. This is going to be a good vacation.

Today I didn’t expect to:
1) burn my thumb
2) slice my pinky
3) ruin a shirt with food coloring

Today I wanted to:
1) put things away in the attic
2) get out the suitcases
3) start packing

Today I actually accomplished:
1) making and decorating cupcakes for the school our Moms Group supports
2) four loads of laundry
3) finished weeding out my clothes
4) cleared off the dining room table

Before I go to bed tonight I have to:
1) fold and put away laundry (2 loads)
2) empty the dishwasher

Tomorrow is the day Fuller, Tebow, and I fly to Texas to visit my folks. My mind is trying to wrap around everything I have to do. I’m making lists and trying to sort it out. I’ll be happy to rest once I get to Texas. I just hope I don’t forget to pack my underwear.

The hotel we were in had internet fees of $15 a day and we refused to pay that, neglecting our blogs until we returned home. And today being the first full day home, I knew it would be a bit rough, so I didn’t plan any big blog stories about what did or didn’t happen on our trip.

Taking a vacation with a three week old isn’t all fun and games, and recovering from traveling with a three week old is a bit worse than that. I spent most of the day holding and feeding Tebow, while trying to keep Fuller occupied and not neglected. Tomorrow should be better, but only if I head to bed right now.