It begins...

So here it is.  I’ve been talking about starting a blog for a few months now, and I finally did it.  I’m ditching my Facebook account (if I’m smart enough to figure out how they have cleverly hidden the “close account” option).  I could go into all kinds of detail about why I’m done with Facebook, but to sum it all up, I’ll say this…not only has it been adding an unwelcome level of drama to my life recently, but more importantly, it’s not serving the purpose I have in mind anymore.  I started an account to able to share photos of my loves (Fine. I’ll admit it.  I also had a bit of the voyeuristic curiosity about what other people were posting.  This was before I realized I would have to hide a quarter of my “friends” to be able to scroll through my feed without becoming incredibly annoyed). 

Then I started following a blog that sealed the deal.  It’s amazing really.  Inspiring.  Her writing and her photos are an intimate, raw view into her life.  It makes me more appreciative of the things I have and the things I get to do.  I want to share those things.  I realized that starting a blog would be perfect.  Our family and friends could follow what we’re up to more easily (some of them don’t have Facebook accounts).  Don’t get me wrong, this could be a complete snore.  Maybe it will turn into my own little diary.  I’m fine with that.  I really am just looking for a way to combine some of my passions.  I’ll be able to use writing and photos to share about Addy and Jason and our little bean (to arrive in July) and my cakes and decorating our nest and adventures and food and music and books and love and…yep…this will get corny.  I’ll do my best to make it interesting.  I’m hoping to talk about how all these wonderful things in my life add up to something that takes my breath away…how sometimes the things that would seem like “sweet nothings” are really “my sweet everythings.”  It’s going to be a very welcome creative challenge for me.  I can’t wait to get started.  Here it goes…

I had already planned what my first blog would be about.  And of course, I changed my mind after this last weekend.  I found myself completely in love and fascinated with the part of being a momma that means living life through your child’s eyes.  We (everyone who loves and cares for Addy) are blessed to be able to introduce her to new things all the time.  We get to live the excitement that is her “first fill-in-the-blank.”  Sunday it was her first Olde Towne Bakery iced sugar cookie at a new park.  My cookie tasted better than ever because I got to watch her eat hers.  By the way, if you haven’t had one of these cookies…you are seriously missing out.  But, make no mistake, my girl was seriously struggling to finish her cookie with the vision of new park equipment only feet away.  

Then there’s her newfound excitement over bugs.  You’ve never seen a dad and mom as excited as Jason and I are to find a bug in our house to show her, simply because she will be oh-so-excited and there’s nothing quite like the way she says “Wook!  It’s a bug!  Get the fwashwight!”  Most of the time she finds “wady bugs” (Japanese beetles) and most of the time they are “sweeping” (probably dead some months ago).   We aren’t sure how it started, but anytime there’s a bug, she feels the need to examine it under a flashlight (don’t worry…her Easter basket has a kiddie-size flashlight so we can stop with the dangerously heavy maglite).  We’ve fed them leaves and lettuce.  We’ve searched for them for hours on end.  We’ve counted their spots.  I’ll never get tired of seeing her reaction when we find a live one.  She screams and runs in what looks to be a mixture of fear and delight when it heads her direction (If it’s not headed in her direction, it’s “just walking awound”).         

I painted her toenails for the first time…that’s right, her first “pedicure.”  I was over the moon when I saw how excited those pink toes made my girl.  She couldn’t wait to show Jason.  She was quick to make sure mine were pink as well (and a bit confused at why his weren’t).  Days later, she still gets excited to see her “boofull toes” when we take her socks off.  This lady is ready for sandal-season.

Whether it’s her shock and awe at the sound and sight of the Stir Krazy popcorn machine working it’s magic after being in a closet since before her birth, or puckering up on a fresh lemon for the first time, it’s all exciting.  I’m so grateful that I get to introduce her to these things and experience them all over again for the first time, through her sweet little eyes.  J

 So there it is.  I jumped in head first.  With my first photos taken with my first DSLR camera and the first time I’ve shared so much of my writing.  It’s all there.