From Magnets to Ballet

I have just come home from an exhausting and exhilarating Texas trip to see my two girls and their sweet families.  I drove from Memphis to Austin in one day, stayed about a week, then drove to Houston for a couple of days and drove home.  I am so blessed to have such great kids and grandkids.  They were a much needed reminder of new little lives after the past few weeks.  The boys are so much fun, and Henry asks the cutest questions.  It is so fun to see what they are interested in ---right about now, Henry is into magnets, so we went to the toy store and got him a horseshoe magnet.  I loved watching him discover what items have the right amounts of iron and nickel and the other metals that stick.  Milo is into watching Henry, laughing and climbing a lot.  He has such a cute little personality.                      

Houston was all about girly girls.  I brought Emma Kate and Maylee new swimsuits and loved watching them try them on and watched Emma Kate practice for her first dance recital.  Maylee and I were in each other's arms a good bit of the time.                

It is so hard to leave my girls and their babies.  I never leave without wondering what it would be like to live closer.  

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

I try not to look at you at all.

Lately, I have become sadly aware that I do not look like the 30 something that I still feel that I am inside. I'm continually surprised when a young mother or father will reply to me with a "yes ma'am" or "no ma'am". I have actually looked behind me when someone has addressed me like that. My insides just don't seem to match my outsides.

I think my daughters think I am seriously older-- not just in how I look but in the things I do or say or forget. When I visit them and ask for directions, I better pay close attention, because I get the "I already told you once" look or the "remember when you were here last time?" awkward moment before they tell me again. I mean, I have always had a major directional problem. nothing new there- But I know they think I'm losing it already...just a little.....right girls??

Passing by a mirror used to mean a quick check: hair, teeth, eye make-up, etc. Now I just keep going and hope I don't catch myself giving a swift glance. It's just too disappointing. I don't think of myself as ridiculously vain. It's just that it's a small surprise to see the wrinkles, the aging neck, and the thinning hair. The person staring back at me is someone I'm just not used to yet. It's like it happened overnight, too. One day, I was holding my own, the next---well, you get the image. Speaking of images, Emma Kate calls the wicked queen a "yucky lady". When she asked me recently why I have polka dots on my hands, I felt like one. You gotta be thick skinned to be a mimi.