Day FIVE of 365

I...don't wanna clean my room... I just wanna bang on me drum all day! LOL! Laurel has reached an impasse with mommy. She cannot play drums until she cleans her mess up. We cried, screamed, yelled, and did the silent treatment, but the room is clean and she has her drums. If only all disagreements ended so simply! These are Phil's bongos and Laurel has the privilege of playing them whenever we go to a gig where Phil is playing! Lucky Laurel!

Day FOUR of 365

I'll be making up for lost time today... been really crazy busy with school and work and schoolwork! lol... I remembered to take a photo each day, but actually sitting down to blog it has been hectic! In addition to all that, my internet crashed and was down for THREE days!! :( Laurel is in various stages of asking if it's "next week" already -- next week is a milestone for her! She starts PRE-K! Time flies...that's all I can say!
I like to throw darts @ a local pub... this is Laurel's booth where she colors and draws pictures on my school notepads!

Day THREE of 365

TODAY WAS A GOOD DAY...CORRECTION... TODAY WAS A GREAT DAY. I SPENT THE DAY WITH A GREAT FRIEND OF MINE, MARTHA...AND HER LITTLE GIRL EMILY AND OF COURSE, MY LAUREL. WE WENT TO WEKIWA SPRINGS, A LOCAL STATE PARK... BBQ'D SOME KILLER STEAKS AND CORN ON THE COB, WENT SWIMMING AND BASICALLY HAD A GIRLS' DAY OUT! IT WAS A MUCH NEEDED BREAK AND A CHANCE FOR TWO SINGLE MOMS TO GET TOGETHER AND CHAT AS WELL AS LET THE GIRLS HAVE FUN! LAUREL AND EMILY PLAYED BALL AND PLAYED IN THE SAND... THERE WASN'T MUCH TO GO WRONG. LAST NIGHT MY FAVORITE [GREAT] AUNT PASSED AWAY. IT WAS TEMPTING TO CANCEL THE TRIP AND STAY HOME...BUT I KNOW MY AUNT, THAT'S NOT THE WAY SHE WOULD HAVE WANTED IT. SO WE WENT OUT AND HAD A GREAT DAY. IF ANYTHING, IT REINFORCES HOW FRAGILE LIFE CAN BE AND THAT WE NEED TO CHERISH IT DAY IN AND DAY OUT...ESPECIALLY THOSE LITTLE MOMENTS. I'M GLAD I'VE RAISED A CONFIDENT AND BEAUTIFUL LITTLE GIRL. SHE MAKES FRIENDS SO EASILY. SHE MADE FRIENDS WITH MY AUNT IN NO TIME WHEN WE WENT TO VISIT HER. MY AUNT HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET LAUREL, EVEN THOUGH MY GRANDMOTHER NEVER DID. TODAY LAUREL SAID, "MOMMY, I'M SORRY YOU ARE SAD BECAUSE AUNT SALLY ISN'T HERE ANYMORE." I TRY NOT TO LET MY FEELINGS AND MOODS SHOW, BUT IT'S HARD. SO CHIN UP.. I SENT HER TO GET HER SWIMSUIT ON AND STARTED PACKING. TODAY IS A CELEBRATION OF OUR LIFE AND HERS. NO ONE WANTS THEIR FAMILY WALLOWING IN GREIF OR IN SELF-PITY OR DEPRESSION...CERTAINLY NOT AUNT SAL... I THINK MY DAUGHTER TAUGHT ME A LESSON TO GO OUT AND HAVE FUN AND APPRECIATE LIFE. OR MAYBE MY AUNT IS TEACHING MY DAUGHTER... EITHER WAY, IT'S A LESSON LEARNED!

Day TWO of 365

THIS MORNING, MY BRIGHT EYED AND BUSHY TAILED LAUREL WOKE UP AND ASKED ME IF I "SLEEPED" GOOD. I SMILED AND WE SNUGGLED AND THEN GOT READY FOR OUR DAY. TOMORROW WE ARE GOING WITH A FRIEND OF MINE AND HER DAUGHTER, WHO IS 2 MONTHS OLDER THAN LAUREL (AND HER BFF, BTW) TO WEKIWA SPRINGS. WE'RE HAVING A GIRLS DAY OUT, FILLED WITH CANOEING AND LOTS OF FUN! EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE IT'S IMPORTANT TO JUST DO SOMETHING TOGETHER. WE'VE BEEN SHORT ON OUR "DATE NIGHTS" FOR A WHILE NOW... AND WHILE I MISS GOING TO THE MOVIES, I THINK SOME OF OUR BEST TIMES TOGETHER ARE WHEN WE SPEND IT OUTDOORS. THIS MORNING I WAS REMINDED AGAIN THAT LAUREL IS STILL MY BABY THOUGH... I WATCHED HER TRY AND JUMP UP AND DOWN TO REACH FOR SOMETHING IN THE TREE AND RAN INSIDE TO GRAB MY CAMERA! SHE'S STILL TOO LITTLE TO GET TO THE FRUIT! I'LL KEEP HER THAT WAY FOR AS LONG AS I CAN!

Day ONE of 365

WELCOME! So I was blog surfing the other day and came across someone's 365 photo a day blog. I'm a photographer, so I found it interesting...but it got me to thinking. I'm also a mother. Actually, I'm a mother first...so let's do a little prioritizing. A friend of mine just had a beautiful baby girl, and of course, like every parent whose child is entering school...what pops out of my mouth but "Cherish her, they grow up so fast." --- Truer words could not have been said. Laurel turns 5 in February, starts PreK1 next week, uses 3 and 4 syllable words and occasionally reminds me "it's otay Mommy, I'm a big girl. I'll be otay." So, I was sitting here a minute ago, contemplating writing a post for my personal Blog, when it occurred to me to do a 365 days of Laurel. I hope I am disciplined and motivated enough to do this. I want to take a picture a day of Laurel...doing whatever. And jot down what I'm thinking. If I'm smart, I'll back it up or something... but I can give it to her later. I want her to see that while yes, parenting isn't easy [especially for a single mom] it's always rewarding.

So I bring you now...Exhibit A.... or rather DAY ONE!

As I am looking over, she has fallen asleep on the couch. Clutched in her arms is one of her favorite stuffed toys, a puppy... aptly named "PUPPY" (as are the other animals in her menagerie. i.e. Mr. Floppy, Quacky Duck, Kitty Cat, etc.) I look at this mangled and dirt-stained little once-white-borderline-abalone shell fluffy dog, who is presently getting the life choked out of him in Laurel's tired little hands! I realize she starts school next week, dressed in uniform and learning so much. I know there will come a time when she no longer needs a beat up puppy to fall asleep at night. Today she informed me that Katy Perry is on the radio and that I was silly not to have known that Hannah and Miley were one and the same! Life flies by so fast...there will come a time when puppy dogs no longer have the ability to heal hurts and snuggle you to sleep...