Times Are A Changin'

I was clearing some space on one of our memory cards and came across this video.

It just so happens that it was exactly a year ago.

My, oh my, how times have changed. The good ole' days, where The Lime would sit in his swing, cooing at us.

Now, he runs around like a mad man, climbing onto anything he can, figuring out how to get into things that he's not supposed to. He never stops going.

But then he says things like, "Bye bye, Dada!" on the way home tonight.

The days of him sitting in one spot were nice but these days of craziness are much more fun.

You Think You Know

But you have no idea, what an ogre looks like.

When you hear the word ogre, you probably think of
But Shrek is far too handsome, nice, kind, patient, understanding, and smart to be an ogre.

When I think of the word ogre, I think of big lips, frizzy hair, the scariest, most condescending voice you've ever heard, loud footsteps, gigantic hands with gross finger nails.

Yes folks, ogres are real and I've run into one twice this week. And that was two times too many.

Fuuuuuuuuuddddddggggggeeeeee

I always feel like I get in a rut when it comes to ideas for singing time at church. I'm checking different websites weekly to get inspiration and came across one last week.

The woman put different objects in a shoe organizer, each item representing a different way to sing a song. Perfect! I jumped on it right away.

(Her picture, not mine)

One of the items I used was a pair of old (fake) glasses. I had a thing for fake glasses growing up. Now I need real ones.

The Lime found the glasses this morning and walked into the bathroom looking like this...

I'm definitely dressing him up as Ralphie for Halloween this year.

4 Months Later

The one thing I really wanted for Christmas last year was an American flag.

I squealed with delight when I opened it up. Only problem was that the flag didn't go with the pole so LaVor had to make some minor adjustments in order for them to work together.

It's now the beginning of May and I finally have my flag, waving in the breeze. Isn't it beautiful? I love the red, white & blue.

Now I can take down my little printed flag that's been doing a wonderful job displaying our patriotism for the last 5 years.

And maybe we should take down our Christmas lights. Talk about White trash.

Houses Don't Last Forever

But families do.

That's what my mom said as I was getting ready to leave their house tonight. We had just taken down the red clock in the kitchen and the sign on their porch that reads our last name.

Time and time again, I've mentioned that I don't like change. I freak out with minor changes like The Lime moving up in a clothing size. Imagine how I've been with this change. A wreck.

I have to keep reminding myself that although my parents are moving to a smaller home, that doesn't mean our memories will no longer exist.

I've had a lot of time to reminisce about my 22 years at that address. My mom was hoping we could share our favorite memories with each other before they left. We never got a chance, so here are mine...

-Standing in the front window, watching for a family member to turn onto our street. One time in particular that stands out is when Tommy and Tanner were bringing Indy home from Omi's house. I think I stood at that window all day and can remember the Mustang making the left hand turn, like it was yesterday.
-Always wanting to live in the loft and then going up there and remembering how hot it was.
-Rollerskating on the kitchen floor, on the basketball court, in front of the house and breaking my arm twice doing so.
-We didn't have a peephole in our front door so we'd have to peek through the window to see who was there. Tanner always knocked and then peeked over from the outside, so we'd know it was him.
-Being hog tied by my brothers while my parents were gone. They threw me into the laundry room, shut the door and I was stuck there until Mom & Pop came home.
-Somehow, spaghetti ended up on our kitchen ceiling. We never had a food fight and still don't know how it ended up there.
-Amy singing in the bathroom and being able to hear her at the kitchen table. One time in particular, the Elders were over and she was singing up a storm. When she came out, we all started clapping for her.
-The front yard had a cement "border" around it. We used the ledge in the very front as a balance beam. We also used the fence that separated our yard from our neighbor's yard as a beam.
-Our neighbors throughout the years; Johnny, Danny & Jose, Amina, Carl across the street that loved his lawn a little too much, Cory, Fat Matt.
-Whenever I would hear sirens, I'd run up the stairs so I could see which direction they were going.
-Playing LOTS of things; kitchen show, store, school, church, nurse, puppies.
-Hiding in my closet on Saturday mornings while my dad looked for me. I hated doing chores.
-Lining up in the hallway on Christmas morning, while Pop got the camera and Mom checked to see if Santa had come.

I could go on forever.

But now it's time to make 22 more years of memories.

An Abundance

When life Papa hands you lemons, make lemonade.

Or lemon bread. Or lemon cream. Or lemon sauce. Or lemon bars.

I asked LaVor's Grandpa if I could have a few lemons from their tree. He said, "Sure!" and proceeded to fill a grocery bag with them. When it rains, it pours...lemons.

But I've loved it! And not just to use for cooking (and to spritz on our wienerschnitzel)! Having a large bowl, full of bright yellow lemons puts an instant smile on my face.

Lemons are cheery, didn't you know?

Time To Step Back

(In the waiting room. He has no idea what's about to go down.)

What a week this has been, in regards to The Lime.

I often think about what it'll be like when he's older. Will he be honest and obedient? When he tells us he's going somewhere with his friends, will he really be there? Will I have to accept some of the choices he makes even though I wouldn't agree with them?

(He hated his medical bracelet.)

The Lime needed to have a medical procedure done that wasn't extreme but would cause him to be put under general anesthesia. I expressed to LaVor my anxiety and worries about putting him under. He said, "Well then let's not do it." If life were only that easy. If we didn't like something or were nervous about it, don't do it. Unfortunately, I couldn't just opt out.

(Daddy showing The Lime his bracelet.)

If I could have the procedure done myself, I'd step right in, as I'm sure any parent would do. No one likes to see their child suffering. Not to mention, relying on someone else to ensure that my child would be safe made me a bit antsy.

(Reading about neighborhood animals.)

If I could be with The Lime for the rest of his life, to watch over him and protect him from any sort of harm, I'd do it. But at some point, as I did on Friday, I'll have to let him go and let him do things on his own.

(Procedure done.)

And hope that we've taught him well.