Hasta Luego...

Our exchange student, Ane has returned home to Bilbao, Spain. Gabby will be going to stay with her and her family for 2 weeks in October.

The past 2 weeks have been a whirl-wind of activities and plenty of coming and going in our house.  The house is quiet without the hustle and bustle of a third kid.  There's one less girl squeezing in bathroom time, one less lunch to make, one less "good night" to say each night.  We miss our guest, our new friend, our third child....Ane.

The Spain exchange program is not about speaking the best Spanish.  It's about exchanging cultures with one another and becoming immersed in something new and unfamiliar.  It's about sharing pieces of you, your family, and the things that make you who you are.  There is a lot to be learned from this experience, both culturally and about your self as you spend 2 weeks with someone who is a complete stranger to you.

On Monday, after we dropped Ane off at the airport, Gabby was exhausted.  She was ready to re-claim her bedroom and then retreat to the couch for a little nap.

"Mom, you just don't know how exhausting it is to be responsible for someone else 24 hours a day!"

I give her a sly smile..."Oh yeah, your right...I guess I don't."

She realizes that she has just experienced in 2 weeks, what  Eric and I have been experiencing for the past 17 years.  She sighs and smiles.  "OK, I guess you do know!"

I wonder if this life lesson was part of the "Spanish exchange" curriculum goals?

Happy Birthday To Me

Today is my Birthday!  

Today I turned 44 years old.  

Year 43 went by fast.  It's been a good year...not a single complaint from me.

I've been thinking about getting older, being a wife, raising kids and having a career.  I've been thinking about all of the knowledge and wisdom I have gained, just by living my life...being myself, preserving who "Tracy" really is.  I wanted to share some of the things I learned and tried to live by during year 43...

1. Make-up and concealers are my friend.
2. Motherhood is the hardest job on the planet.
3. Raising strong, independent, confident girls is the 2nd hardest.
4. Starbucks (often/daily) is a luxury that I deserve!
5. Good friends are hard to find.  Cherish the ones you have.
6. "I've got this", "I've got that"...Who Cares!  Be humble, live humble.
7. Material things don't matter, they can be replaced.
8. You can love someone more and more each day.
9. Your one true love can melt your heart every time you see him (yes, you Eric).
10. Oh yeah, that what my parents meant!
11. Cherish your memories, especially memories of those you have lost.
12. "Mom we promise to take care of it" is ALWAYS a lie!
13. The world is quiet at 5:00 am (or at least in our house).
14. Try to take care of yourself.
15. Time flies, even when you are not having fun.  Stop and appreciate.
16. Embrace failure, learn from it, find strength from it.
17. Own who you are.  Don't try to be any other way.  Just be.
18. Appreciate.
19. Be grateful for all that is around you.
20. Let the ones you love, know that you love them...tell them you love them.
21. Family matters, love matters, your heart matters.

22.  Each day I am thankful for the nights that turned into mornings.

And So It Begins....

The first day of school for the girls was almost 2 weeks ago.  I am just getting around to posting my "1st day of school" pictures!

When Eric and I were first married, we were sure we wanted to have 3 children...that was our plan.  After 2, we decided that we were done.  

For the past 2 weeks, I have an extra kid at my house, Ane, our exchange student from Spain.   I have been making 1 extra lunch, washing extra towels, cooking extra dinner, carpooling 1 extra person and keeping up and keeping safe 1 extra girl.  Whew...so glad we stopped at 2! 

I'm saying all of this to lead to my excuse as to why I'm late with my "back to school" post:)  Too busy with 1 extra kid!

Anyway, the girls started school on September 4th.  

After complaining most of 6th grade that she couldn't see, I finally stopped being a neglectful mother and took Sinobia for an eye exam.  Sure enough, my poor kid needed glasses!  So, armed with her smart, cute looking glasses, a new backpack and tons of school supplies,  Sinobia started 7th grade and was excited about getting back to school and having a little structure in her life after a fairly lazy summer.  She seems happy about her schedule and her new teachers this year.  So far, so good.

Gabrielle started her Senior year!  She said to me the night before school started, "This is my last first day of school."  I just about cried!  My 4 lb. baby is going to college in a year!  I know this year will slip through our fingers so fast.  I need to make sure that I cherish every minute, every hug, every eye roll, every smart comment and all the Gabby attitude I can get this year.

In addition to school starting, so has swim team, swim meets, circus classes and soon gymnastics!  

And so it begins...