Capturing Life and Chasing Zen

On the way to bring Cy to a sleepover, the sun was setting. And my girls both noticed the beauty. Cy said, "Mom, look. Do you have your camera?" I did. I parked the van and the girls couldn't get out fast enough. They know that every minute counts when you are trying to capture a sunset with your camera.  

This is what I captured. 

It's beautiful. I never tire of sunsets. 

While I was taking shots, my girls were taking their own. 

Seeing them trying to get sunset pictures with their phone cameras was better to me than the actual sunset.

I love that they noticed the sunset in the first place. And I love that they wanted to stop and savor it.

Sigh. :)

fifth grade

 

 

 

 

I was so glad that I got to take pictures of her before I had to head to work. She picked out all of her accessories by herself.  :)

The whole way to work, I kept thinking about how it is so very true how quickly time passes.

 

So typical right now.

Devin is 13 and doing that thing where you pull away a bit and your friends are your world.

Cy is 10 and admires her older sister and wants to be like her (a little), but also, likes to aggravate her.

I am soaking it all in and loving every minute.  

she makes me smile

My youngest girlie & I had a photoshoot recently. I had been telling her that I wanted to take pictures of her with her cowboy boots on before she outgrew them.

I also wanted to take a few shots of her while she still had her braces on. 

I love this girlie.

She makes me smile.

 

my baby likes to bake

When I was a girl, I loved to bake. I really wasn't into cooking. I mean, it was ok. I didn't hate it or anything. But baking...I could get used to that.

My baby girl loves baking, too. Sometimes, she likes to do fancy stuff and use the mixer and all of the other important contraptions that go with baking. But lots of times, the quick & easy way is just fine with her.

I was looking through my hard-drive and clearing out some pictures and I found these. I took these awhile back when the baby girl & I wanted to bake. And I'm so glad I did. I love "real life" pictures.

So, here's what we decided to make...

 

Here's my baby girl posing for her momma...

 

And here she is doing what I always loved to do when I was her age...

 

And here is LuLu, hoping that we will drop something...

 

And here is Spike, pretty much hoping for the same.

 

Anyway, my baby girl likes to bake. And I love that about her.

The other day, we dropped her older sister off somewhere and we needed to kill some time until we could pick her up again. So, the baby girl and I headed to one of our favorite stores...Michaels. Yep, we love that place. All kinds of creative possibilities just waiting for you!

Anyway, I perused the aisles and looked  at all of the scrapbooking stuff, art supplies, books about knitting and crocheting (I've never done either one of these but hope to someday learn) and baby girl was right there with me, enjoying all of it.

And then...

she found books about making cupcakes. Let me tell you, it was hard to get her attention after that. She was enthralled and I could see how excited she was getting just talking about the possibilities. I love that she has found something...a passion... that so obviously makes her happy.

We came home and baked chocolate chip cookies and put Mardi Gras ice cream in between two of them. She had the idea to make ice cream sandwiches , so that's what we did. She felt inspired. I understood that completely. So we went with it and she felt so happy afterwards.

I love that.

My baby likes to bake.

Dear Cy,

 

 

Dear Cy~

You are now 10. Ten. No more single digits.

When I think of you being 10, I get a strange feeling in my heart. It's not bad or anything. Just strange. I am trying to grasp the idea, really. I am still having difficulty believing it is real...that the baby of this family is...TEN.

Let me tell you about yourself at this age, Cy Olivia.

You are an amazing young lady. You are extremely thoughtful. That's the first quality that comes to mind when I think of you. The other day, I was lying on the sofa, not feeling well. You walked over and asked how I was doing, felt my forehead and offered to make me some soup. That's just one example, but that's the kind of thing you do all of the time.

You are funny and sweet and loving. I know that I can always count on a hug from you. And kisses, too. You often come up to me and give me a kiss on the cheek for no reason. How I love that.

One of my favorite things you do, lately is...

Before I go to bed, I usually get on the computer for a bit. I have been finding little word document messages from you saying...

I LOVE YOU, MOMMA!

                   or

GOOD NIGHT, MOMMA! Love, Cy

So, so thoughtful.  :)

You are a fantastic babysitter! You take such good care of your cousin, Emmie. You always look out for her, play with her, keep her entertained and out of harm's way. You are a very responsible girl and you take watching Emmie very seriously.

You are extremely creative. You draw entire wardrobes. And you design the best dresses. You also love to cook and bake. And you love to watch the Cooking channel. I think that's pretty awesome.  

Cy, you are so amazing. Dad & I are so grateful to have you in our lives. I know that you will continue to amaze us in the next year. 

Happy Birthday, baby.

We love you!

Momma