Every stage is just so different

This kid here is so very special to me in so many different ways. He is my first true love I experienced in my life in the form of a child that I carried inside me. He is funny and intelligent and opinionated and driven. He also drives me so damn crazy some days too. This 9 year old attitude is something else that’s for sure! He’s growing up fast and I’m trying to keep up to him and be the kind of mom he needs and wants me to be. I know he feels like he doesn’t get enough of me, but every day even if he doesn’t get the one on one time he craves, I ALWAYS make sure he knows how much I love him. Even if he’s throwing a tantrum about a jersey, pouting about not being good enough at something, or just generally having a rough day. Not every day is easy and I get that. And I try to tell him that too. I know life sucks sometimes and I try to make it suck a little less for him sometimes too.

We’re in this ride together for the rest of my life and I can’t wait to see the kind of kid that he continues to grow up to be.

My favorite photo shoot of the whole year!

This is a beautiful tradition that I hope years down the road my sweet KJ girl looks back on and appreciates. I don't ever expect her to wear my dress on the day she gets married, but I am really hopeful that she will continue this yearly tradition until she turns 18...or longer if she wants to :)

We talked about this shoot for the past week and she was really excited about doing it. She is comfortable with Jenn and being in front of the camera too. She lasted about 8 minutes before she was pulling on the dress and saying out and done. I said from the beginning I was just happy if we got 1-2 shots that we were happy with. I definitely got that and more. 

I love seeing how much she has changed from last year to now! I'll put the other photos below from the first two years. I also shared them on IG and FB last night too.

I think this one might be my very favorite! We kept laughing at how the dress was falling in a very risque way that was just barely covering her chest and how that may be the style of dresses these days but certainly wasn't like that when I wore it 12 years ago! 

 Looking at her mama making it pretty clear that she is done with this dress thing! 

hehehehehehe...eating Smarties and waiting to be done!

Baby Kennedy Joanna - taken at just about 2 weeks old I think

Toddler Kennedy Joanna taken at just around a year old

Sometimes it takes my breath away how beautiful she is. This photo is a stunner and I can't wait to see how much she changes from now until we do it again next year when she's 3!

Love the collage putting the 3 photos together!

I am so honoured to call Jenn one of my best friends and am so very very grateful for the priceless memories that she captures of my kids for me.

Just another crazy morning at the Barrows house

I have said it many many times before. I love having extra kids at my house. Playdates (which aren't as common anymore with my working and the kids ridiculous sports schedules), before school, after school, sleepovers, etc. I truly love my friends kids and my kids friends and genuinely enjoy having them around. Some people say I'm crazy for saying yes to the craziness, but what most don't realize is that once you get past 3 I don't feel like it's any more crazy than it already is. Lots of times when other kids are here it makes my kids fight less (although they still listen like shit!) and they often occupy and help with Kennedy too which is very helpful. On the days that I am running short on time I can usually sneak in a quick shower while someone somewhere is playing with Kennedy.

This morning was another one of those days where I had both the Foster girls and the Doxsee kids. This combination doesn't happen super often but when it does it's pancakes all around! And usually a much earlier morning getting going so that I have time to get everyone ready and out the door in time for me to get out the door to get KJ to the babysitters before I have to work!

These girls were amazing and unloaded the dishwasher for me while I made lunches and the boys got ready for school. As a treat they all got some vanilla steamed milk.

Before the craziness of breakfast hit I caught her laying alone on her little couch just flipping through James's book. This is rare at our house, especially on extra kid mornings when she is rarely left alone for a moment.

Wanted to attempt a group pic but they were impatient so I didn't push it! Here are the boys heading off on their bikes. 

And here's the girls with Tye walking ahead. It really helps living right around the corner from the school and having kids big enough to walk together!

Throwing it back to December 2018 and another wild but fun day with these 7 great kids!

I would do anything in the world for him....

...including getting into my swimsuit and going into the pool with him and his class. As soon as Jordie's class won the popcorn selling contest I went to his teacher and asked her if she wanted to do swimming or skating as the class party. We both knew the kids would have more fun in the pool and hoped that the Complex would allow us to do it with only a few parents in with the kids. In the end we only needed 2 and had 5 adults that came in with us and it was a ton of fun!

Truly the smile on his face when he heard I was coming on the bus with him just made my whole day. Would I have loved to sit on the side and watch and chat with the other moms, yeah sure of course I would have. But did I absolutely LOVE being there with him, engaged in play and just focusing on him, yes absolutely 100%.

I know so many moms that are super self conscious about being in a bathing suit and I am too, but to me in that moment, all that mattered was making my Jordie boy happy. I swore years ago that I was never going to be that mom that sat out of doing something with or for my kids because of my own stuff in my head. I just got in and did it and didn't think about what I looked like, and I'm so happy I did. He was so very excited and so proud that his mom came on the bus and was coming in the pool too. He swam with me, we did races, played catch with his friends, and I got lots of hugs and kisses in the process. Today, I was the best mom for him that I could be, and I'm so happy that I could be truly present there with him. So many times I will admit that even though I'm there with the kids, I'm usually the one taking the photos, so today felt wonderful to not have my phone and to just be with him. I hope these are the memories that my kids will remember about me. That I showed up when I said I would and always put them first.

I've said it before on this blog, and in my life, that I try so very hard to give everything that I possibly can to my kids, and today was no exception. I switched my schedule around at work, I made alternate drop off plans for Kennedy, and made after school arrangements for the kids so I could work later too. I am so very appreciative to my awesome coworkers who understand how much these kinds of things truly mean to me and are willing to go out of their way to switch shifts with me in order to make it happen. Without that flexibility I wouldn't get to do half the things that I have this year.

This smile is the whole reason I said yes and will continue to say yes whenever and however I can.

Flashback Friday - Camping is our favorite family activity!

Wow, have they have grown and changed in just a year! She definitely won't fit in this tub like this now. Heading up camping tonight and hoping for another great family fun weekend!

How can two pictures of her look so different?

These two photos were taken just seconds apart from each other but I think she looks so different, yet completely adorable, in both of them.