Monday Mom Moment...

I'm having a moment... see that cute little smiling face on the left?  That's Dear Daughter... it's Spring Break (woo hoo!) and she's spending the week with her awesome Aunt Kim and her cousins at "Camp Aunt Kim".  Today they are at the Texas State Capital celebrating the 100th anniversary of Girl Scouting.  She and her aunt are kindred Girl Scout spirits, and they were beyond excited for this little adventure.  This is the first glimpse I've had since she left yesterday, and I won't get my hands on that cuteness again until Sunday.  SUNDAY people.  That's an entire week without my little mini-me, my partner in crime, my joyful little ball of energy and hilarity.

Here's the deal... I have prided myself on raising independent, self-confident children.  Mine were the toddlers who skipped happily into Mother's Day Out without so much as a glance over their shoulder.  I pitied the moms with the clingy, screaming psycho-separation anxiety kids.  Now it has backfired on me and I am the one with psycho-separation anxiety... they go, and they WANT to go, and they smile back at me from photos I'm not in, from adventures I only maybe share virtually (Sweet Son is anti-facebook, so I don't even get that little luxury when he's gone).  This is our goal as parents... I know, this is what we are supposed to do... raise them to be self sufficient, happy and well adjusted.  I'm good with that most of the time... except when I get no sleepy, squishy cheeked kisses first thing in the morning for an ENTIRE WEEK.  Ok, I will stop my pouting shortly now.  Back to your regularly scheduled Monday...

Top Shot

This is my favorite photo of my crazy day yesterday... not just because it's a GREAT shot (if I do say so) but because of what it represents to me.  Due to the ridiculous politics of grown-ups, Dear Daughter's soccer team recently experienced some unpleasant changes.  After playing with some of her very best friends for years, she has made the decision to move on to a new team... eleven tween girls she had never met, girls who are already friends, who have already proven themselves to each other both on and off the field. 

How daunting for a girl at an age when she is starting to go through many other changes and is quite unsure of her place in the world... as confident as she likes everyone to think she is, we have had more than one quiet moment together when she has shared her nerves and insecurities.  But she LOVES soccer and after much thought made the scary decision on her own to accept this new challenge.

Now to the part about why I LOVE this photo... this is MY girl... my girl who loves to play soccer, who gives her entire heart and soul to the game, to the moment... and in this photo she is not worried about who is watching her, or who might not like her... all she is worried about it stopping that ball.  Look at that ponytail fly!   As we walked off the field yesterday she looked at me with a giant smile and said, "Mama, I think we made the right decision"... WHEW.  I think I feel my ponytail flying.  

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