Michele Holcomb

be brave...

I watch her walk on to the school grounds with her head held high knowing that the evening before she awoke with tears. Into my bed she goes. I didn't have the energy to put her back in her room. I think she needed to be close to us. 

"Be Brave" I say as she gets out of the car. She smiles and says "I will."

I find myself saying this to Nyna as she navigates through school life and understanding the meaning of friendships. I don't remember friendships being this hard when I was young. Maybe during my teen years but at ten...life just seemed so much easier. My girl is resilient, this I know, but this mama's heart still hurts to hear her stories, often accompanied with tears.

Evening discussions about treating people with respect and looking for the good in others is a huge topic in our home. We talk about exclusion, which is something that Nyna is experiencing at the moment with friends; one of whom she seems to like very much. We also discuss what is her contribution to the situation. Being able to look at yourself before you look at others is just as important. I am thankful that there are other girls in her grade that have embraced her into their circle of play.

I believe having an older sister with special needs and watching her go through life makes Nyna especially aware of treating others well. That, along with our parenting advice hopefully assists her in making good choices on who to surround herself with.

weekend:: in photos

A little photo project for the weekend. Capturing real life through the lens.It's been a few weeks since I picked up my camera. I needed this photo project to inspire me. I think it worked.

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EATING

[anna #16 jersey shirt - amy tangerine]

LOUNGING & NAPPING

PLAYING 

READING

CONSOLIDATING

I want to remember

Our first week of back to school will officially be in the books as of 2:48pm. As much as I didn't want our summer routine to end, I have to say that this has been a good week. So good, that I don't want to forget the prepping and the gathering and the planning. And after reading Ali Edwards post "I want to remember", this is a perfect way to capture my thoughts.

I want to remember waking up a little extra early to make pancakes, eggs, and sausage for breakfast. Love our breakfast tradition.

I want to remember Anna asking me to walk with her to pick up her schedule and then to her first class. I love that she feels comfortable with my presence on campus.

I want to remember having the flexibility at work to be able to drop off and pick up the girls.

I want to remember Nyna's joy at how long her hair is right now and my sense of accomplishment for gettin' it done! (this took me pretty much all of Monday to do but the look on her face...priceless).

I want to remember Nyna picking out "the perfect" first day outfit - jean skirt, black leggings, blue tank top and blue zebra colored blouse.

I want to remember Anna telling me that school was just okay and that "it was so crowded." I believe that it may have been just a bit overwhelming for her.

I want to remember Nyna sharing that she completed the timed multiplication fact sheet in 4 minutes and 15 seconds.

I want to remember emailing Anna's advisor and feeling grateful that she's a big part of her life. I feel so at ease knowing that there are teachers that really care for the students.

I want to remember how much Anna loves rally's and the impending football game. She's reminded us several times this week that the Varsity team plays tonight. We'll be going to cheer them on.

I want to remember to be strong for my girls as we all face new adventures, new successes and new challenges through the year.

summer:: a month of swimming

[photos filters from picmonkey]

The girls spent most of their July evenings at the neighborhood pool taking swim lessons. New skills have been taught, learned and mastered. Nyna moved up a level; I think she's mentally ready to take the plunge and join the swim team. Anna worked with the teen/adult class and has learned that kicking your feet and moving your arms will get you from one place to the next. 

Every morning I packed their swim bag, swim suits, towels, sunblock, snacks and my favorite book. I read, I cheered, I took a ton of pictures and video. We ate snack during down time. The girls listened to music in between each other sessions. The iphone is great for passing the time. I savored my hour and half of me time and finished quite a few books.

Now...it's on to August where we'll fit in more adventuring before school starts.

happy weekending

I spent some time getting back to playing with paper, paints and glue. And although I had no idea what I was doing, I loved every creative minute. It's been a long time and it felt really good. I still had paint stains on my nails the next morning. I'm hoping to get in some creative time this weekend + take my new to me bike for a spin around the neighborhood.

Hope your days are filled with creativity too!

Happy Weekending!

22.12.10

[me - 1992; him - 1995]

we met the summer of 1990.

i was 16. he was 14. that was 22 years ago.

i don't really remember the day but he sure does. he has an awesome memory. he told my friend Yvonne that he was going to marry me. i wonder if she remembers that?

that entire school year, we talked on the phone. all day and all night. even when he was grounded. and he was grounded a lot! we talked about everything. music. friends. school. poetry. 

but...man...all I kept thinking about was how young he was. afterall, i was 16 for goodness sake. so a relationship never blossomed but a friendship sure did.

we talked off and on for years. he went into the army after highschool and we lost touch for awhile but we would always reconnect.

[dre & anna - 2002]

he officially came home in 2000. we became an instant couple. i loved him immediately. i think i always have. he was amazing with my daughter. i loved him so much more for that too.

12 years of my life has been spent with this man. i think we needed that time to grow up a little.

[dre and nyna - 2011]

on 06.14.02 we made if official. 

we were married with only our parents present. he, anna and i celebrated afterwards. that weekend we had a small reception at my parents house with our closest family and friends.

i gave him a daughter who is the only other person he knows that looks just like him. i've come to accept that i won't be able to give him anymore. we've lived in four houses and hope to move one last time. we've seen job loss and jobs gained. we've had financial security and years when we didn't know where the money would come from. we've laughed so hard at ourselves and i've shed my share of tears for things that i can't change. we've loved for so long and strive to make our marraige better.

this week we celebrate 10 years of marriage and 12 years of true, sometimes heart-wrenching love.

but in all realness...

we celebrate 22 years of friendship.

i need a little more color

For the past week, I've been playing along with Shutter Sisters month of colors. Haven't heard of it? Well...here's the gist.

The Project: Each day of the week (Monday through Friday) focuses on a different color. Use any type of camera and take a photo. Post it on instagram, flickr pool, or the comments section of their blog with the tag #sscolormonth or #sscolorweek. Easy Peasy.

So far the challenge of looking for a daily color has been inspiring. It's interesting how one color can come to life when you're really paying attention.

***Are you playing along? Link me up so I can follow you too***

Below are a few of my captures. You can also see them in full size here:

happy weekending

Dre and I "jump" started our weekend early with a few morning errands, a much needed shopping spree and lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. We're calling this an early anniversary date. Now we're relaxing and getting ready to watch the season finale  of Game of Thrones. Tomorrow morning, I'll head out to the farmer's market. I'm really looking forward to buying and eating fresh local produce. My mind & body is craving more nutritious meals. 

oh man...I just love long days like these.

I hope your weekend is full of relaxation, or the ordinary, or fun-filled adventures. 

Happy Weekending!

may snapshots

May brought us:

• a weekend trip to Carson City, NV
• The Avengers in 3-D
• our winter league bowling tournament
• plenty of Redbox rentals including Iron Man 1&2, Captain America, Mission Impossible:Ghost Protocol and Incredibly Loud & Extremely Close
• family game night (we love to play Clue)
• Nyna's school Art Night
• a birthday for me
• a new (to me) local bookstore
• handmade drawings for Mother's Day
• annular Solar Eclipse
• new reads (Fifty Shades of Grey)
• plenty of library visits
• a switch from gymnastics to tumbling for nyna
• highschool spirit week
• Anna's tri-annual Individualized Education Plan (IEP) - an awesome education plan is in place for next year.

In June, we're looking forward to summer vacation, our first dip in the pool, new summer clothes & sandals and a little bit of a flexible schedule. 

***I'm joining in "a month in photos" hosted by Rebecca Cooper. Click on the button below to see more entries***

time is on my mind

 

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With an upcoming birthday, this concept of time has been on my mind as of late.

I want to soak in as much knowledge as possible.

I want to be fully present and engaged with my children, my husband, my extended family and my friends.

I want to make more of an effort to move more and eat healthy.

I want to live my life to the fullest.

This quote says so much about where I am right now.