A big eye sore is DOWN

While I was pregnant with our little princess, Abigayle, a friend of ours gave us a really nice double decker fort that we brought home for our children to play on. Throughout the past 8 years, MANY wonderful hours were spent playing on it by Leighlyn and Abigayle, their friends and neighbors. Through the years, time took it's toll on the structure and caused it not to be nearly as sturdy as we demanded. Last fall, we told the kids that it was no longer safe to be played on. So, yesterday, our family worked on it until it came down. Now all that remains is the skeletal pieces that we are going to be stacking up today and some will be used to construct new steps for our porch off of our dining room.

Watching it come down was a sad thing to see. We kept remembering all of the laughter and the fun that the fort had been instrumental in producing. Now, our daughters who are 12 and 8 as of next Saturday, are no longer interested in having a fort. They are no longer interested in the jungle gym in our backyard. They do, however, want to keep the three swings on their wooden swingset that help them to get closer to the sky. Thank goodness for that!!!

Instead, they are now more interested in growing vegetables and more flowers in the backyard. I am also looking forward to that and the future memories that will be made there.

I guess that my main problem is the fact that my daughters are growing up right in front of me and their Daddy. I just am NOT prepared for that!!! My heart began splitting a couple of weeks ago when our baby asked me if she could call me "Mom". Fortunately, she called me that about a half-a-dozen times before she went back to calling me Mommy!!! LOL!!!

I spent a considerable amount of time yesterday thinking of the fact that Leighlyn will be going to college in just 6 years. That is simply NOT FAIR!!! Stan and I were married for 17 whole years before God blessed us with her!!! Why does she have to leave us so very soon??? For the past 6 years, she has sworn up and down that she will become a cardiologist in honor of the people who saved her Mommy's life in 2002. But why does she want to go all of the way to Harvard to do that???

Last night, our family decided to go through our DVD library to look for two of our favorites, FATHER OF THE BRIDE 1 and FATHER OF THE BRIDE 11 starring Steve Martin and Diane Keaton. We watched them until 1:30 this morning!!!!! The first movie deals with the fact that their one and only daughter is getting married. Boy, how I could understand the heartbreak that Steve Martin felt as his daughter was growing up and leaving home! The second movie dealt with the now-married daughter who discovers that she is expecting PLUS the soon-to-be-grandparents learn that they are going to be NEW parents of a daughter! Wouldn't it just be dandy if we could all produce new babies as one child is moving out??? Probably not. The truth of the matter is that no new child replaces the older ones.

Anyway, I just have to remember that this is a voyage that all parents must go through whether we like it or not. What a wonderful thing it is to know that we have great family and friends to help us get through it all!!!

Thanks for letting me cry on your shoulder yet AGAIN!!!

VLE-B