kicked out of the club....

Abigail, Kathryn Grace, Evelyn Joy, Jonathan, and the princesses, Miss Char and Miss Camille...at the museum of play.

Me with Jon, Cam, Char...

Okay. Here's the club I have been kicked out of...the Mommy Club. More specifically, the Mommy with a Baby In A Stroller Club. Okay, we all have to leave that club sometime. But seriously, I was in that club for over 25 years. Emily was born 29 years ago, and Cam was in a stroller until like three years ago:)....over two and a half decades. Diaper bags and bottles and strollers.

I don't mind that my life has moved on. I enjoy my kids immensely. But. Being at the kids' museum the other day, seing the moms with their Baby Bjorns and Peg-Peregos and McClarens, chatting with each other about how old their babies were...I felt old. I know there is a time and season for everything, but it made me miss those baby days. When my kids were playing and pretending and exploring, I followed them around, sitting down here and there, and feeling an emptiness of arms that I haven't been aware of for quite some time. It's just the classic old adage that I felt, that I wanted to say to those mommies..."Enjoy that baby, it goes by fast!"

Anyway, our museum day was so much fun! It is an amazing place. We took our time, and really let the kids play. Abigail and I had a nice time together, too. I am so very blessed to have all these daughters, they grow up into my best friends.

Saturday...I took Jonathan, Charlotte Claire, and Camille to the pool.

Then...the girls wanted to do something to celebrate Kathryn's 16th birthday...
Kathryn is such a good girl. She has what she calls, "swag". She dresses how she wants, rather like a tomboy, although that term definitely dates me. But don't just look at her knit hat and her high topped sneakers and write her off, no sir, this girl is a sweetie. She has the softest heart! She can be moody, she can have quite an attitude, but she thinks of others, and she is very giving.

Evelyn, Abigail, Sonja, Suzanne, Kathryn, then their cousins, Eileen and Olivia. Margaret was with us at the dreaded mall too, but didn't want to be in the pictures.

Yes, the mall. The fun part was that my sister-in-law (Eileen and Olivia's mom) went with us. We found her some new shoes, and we tried on dresses. The whole group of us went to Chili's to celebrate Kap's birthday. I ate too many chips with salsa, and oh the fries....I should have said Hold The Fries. But it was very enjoyable, despite the ups and downs of the moods of some of my girls.

Somehow they talked me into going to Target on the way home, I needed to get a new home phone anyway. We have our cell phones, but still have a home phone, and it didn't work very well anymore. Some of the buttons just didn't work, so if anyone had to call "911" they would be out of luck. The "1" didn't work. I bought Kathryn some nice earphones and a book and a dry erase board. Margaret found a few things to add to our cart, so I did get to wince at the register when I swiped my card.

Winter is edging into Spring's time. Our whole yard is still covered in snow, we got more last night. This week: cold cold cold and more snow. The weather man said we might get some warm weather next weekend. Brrr.

Today is Kathryn's birthday, Mirielle made homemade brownies during the night last night. I am staying away from them. I have been trying so hard to behave, then I had that restaurant food last night, blah.

It is too cold out to go for a walk, 22 degrees (5.5 c). Perhaps to the pool again, or just a workout with push-ups and weights. But I WILL exercise today. For what it's worth....