Yes, 5. It's been FIVE years since I've updated this blog. Somehow, life has gotten too busy to take time for blogging, and I let it. Last night Brooke and I were talking and I mentioned my old blog. She asked about it, so we decided to take a look. I really wasn't even sure if it was still active. I half expected it to be gone for good, like the days of my little ones that are now teenagers. But what a fun surprise to find that it was still here, alive and well and full of the most treasured memories of days gone by. Brooke and I sat looking, reading and laughing at the memories for hours. As we did this and I read my own posts from years ago, I was filled with tremendous gratitude. Gratitude that I took a little bit of time to record a few of the thoughts and memories from that time in our lives. Gratitude for the technology that kept the memories and gratitude for the fun chance to reminiscence with my daughter. The funny thing is, she was there for most of those memories but is now seeing them with new eyes as a teenager. What a gift.
Why did I stop? I have been asking myself this question over and over again. It was a combination of factors. Life got busy. Life got complicated. The days of little ones and play dates turned into days juggling teenagers, sports, homework, working and busy schedules for everyone. We have dealt with tragedy, loss and sadness. We have had our share of wonderful days but there have been some hard times these past few years. I wish I would have taken the time to keep on documenting the simple pleasures of life, even when things were hard and busy and heavy. But I didn't. I got so caught up keeping up with life, that the extras had to go, and my blog was en extra.
I always thought my blog was kind of insignificant. It was a guilty pleasure. I just did it for myself, to have a place to post thoughts and memories now and then. But now, I've realized how great it is to be able to look back at these memories and relive the days when my babies were babies. As I re-read my entries last night, there were so many posts that I didn't even remember. They made me laugh and cry and smile wide with joy, and gratitude. Gratitude to my past self for giving my this gift. So, once again, I'm resolving to resurrect my blog. Because this record of raising my children is an unparalleled treasure of my life's work. Because, they are my life. These everyday memories are my life. My family is my life. These simple days that we had in these past posts and the simple days we continue to have, they are our life. The simple days, the milestones, adventures and the meltdowns. The good days and the hard days, they are all a gift. And I want to capture them. So in another 5 years, I can look back and smile at the memories we've made.
The Journey IS the Destination. And these are the stories of our family's journey.
Here are my babes now... 5 years later.
