Flying First Class?

I find that as I get older time flies faster and faster.  I felt like the 8 years we were in North Carolina was so long and yet I have been in Michigan for over 8 years and yet I really feel like we just got back here.  I don't know why I feel that way since a LOT of things have happened since we moved back to Michigan and here is a summery:
Real Estate: we bought 1 house and 1 cottage; rented 2 different "crash pads" in Memphis for the Fed Ex Pilot
Cars: 2 used car Hondas bought and sold, 1 used BMW bought and kept, 1 new BMW (mine) bought and kept, and we still have both cars we moved here with.  Yes, that means we have 4 cars and 2 drivers.
Pets: we lost 2 dogs, got a rabbit that my sister somehow took over (he is a much happier bunny at her house so it is a great thing), and have had several carni-fish (you know those cheap fish you win at the fair and then can't kill?) and a beta
Family:  my dad got sick, had a lung transplant and died; Chase was born
Medical: I had surgery on my brain, Rick had surgery on his kidneys, Ryann had surgery on her tonsils,  Chase had surgery on his teeth and Rick had surgery on his eye.   Ryann, Chase, and Myself were diagnosed with Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome which is genetic and ironic because I worked for a geneticist in Texas before I had a clue I had EDS.  Ryann had 12 weeks and $4000 worth of "Vision Therapy" to correct her visual issues which included seeing double to 26 inches.  Being the hyper-alert parents that we are, we discovered this in 4th grade after her grades started falling and I had spent a large part of my evenings screaming at her for not trying hard enough.  Chase just wrapped up 3 years of OT    and is currently 7 months and counting into hippotherapy (that is PT on a horse).  Me? I've seen a ton of doctors, Physical therapists, occupational therapists, and med; too many to mention.
Work:  In 9 years Rick has gone to training and flown 2 Fed EX jets and 2 Michigan National Guard jets.  I worked for a year as a fill-in position for the full-time nurse practitioner.
War: Rick - one.

Whew, how can I think that time has flown by when all that drama has occurred?  I don't know but  don't blink because another month flies by.

Hard to believe that the little munchken munching on cake at her first birthday is already the "social 

girl" you see above.   I don't know what stresses me out more- watching her get older or ME get older!  I am about to drop the big bucks for Creme de La Mer.  Suddenly $135/oz doesn't seem to steep a price to pay for youthful beauty.   Does it?  Not so much when facing the mirror and an old lady with wrinkles and saggy face glares back….I look old! (note I did not include a recent picture of myself now did I? Nor did I really buy that over-priced crap from the sea).

Great Picture Taken by Ryann This Winter

Mom, TIME For a Haircut!!!!!

Much Better!

I don't know about you, but nothing is better for the mom in me than watching my kids getting along... even enjoying each other.  My kids have such an interesting relationship.  They are 6 1/2 years apart and that in and of itself could have easily be an issue.  Instead, Ryann actually likes Chase -a lot- and she loves when he is cute and funny- in fact she gets as big a kick out of the funny/smart/cute things he does and says as Rick and I do. He loves to laugh with her and really really enjoys hanging out with her and some of her friends.  He actually gets along better and more excited to see kids Ryann's age than his own age.  Makes school an interesting work in progress, but at home, he is all good.  My sister and I spend a lot of time laughing so hard we can't breath.  One night we were at our parents for Christmas and it was like 1:00 am and we were laughing so hard, I still remember how bad my stomach hurt from all the laughing.  The next morning my father told us it was really hard to lay in bed and hear us fighting…huh?  That was all laughter!  Chase and Ryann do that.  Chase has a unique sense of humor and when something cracks him up he can't breathe for a long time.  His laugh is infectious to all, but particularly Ryann and she will laugh just as hard as he is.  It is probably my favorite thing in the whole world.  Better than chocolate and ice cream even.
I have finished Mouse Paper Scissor (although there is a short 2 week course coming up again in April). I start "She Art" in a few weeks which I am super excited about.  I still have to photograph and post the pictures from MPS- we made 2 minibooks which I adore, 2 scrapbook layouts-you know how I feel about those, but I must admit I like the pages I made, one for each kiddo.  We also made several cards, and a really cool final project that was a mirror from Ikea which we covered with paper we made ourselves from observations about our own lives.  We typed the words/paragraphs in Photoshop using a variety of fonts (I admit that I am a font whore and I used even more than they planned).  The project was perfect for me because not only did we use the fonts, we added Glimmer Mist, Glam, AND glitter  (I exchanged the chancy glitter that came in the kit for my favorite Martha glitter), we added a "lollie" and a tag, some bling and a crystal.  What else would I have added?  Not a thing.

Spring is here officially if not temperately.  I've seen a few robins, it stays light past 7 pm, and the sun visits Michigan more and more each week.  Now if only the cold weather would leave we would be good right?.

Laters...