Need to Breathe

When a snap won't close, her bracelets get tangled, or Duck is too big to fit into the kitchen drawer, Liza gets angry. Often whatever is causing her this annoyance gets tossed with a shrill screech of intense frustration. I've fallen into the habit of encouraging her to breathe in these moments. I suck in a big breath of air, letting her hear it rush into my nose and see my chest rise, and then I blow out softly, ruffling her hair and tickling her face. This usually elicits a smile, and we work together to fix whatever it is that's bothering her.

These last few months I've felt more and more that this blog is a "have-to" rather than a "want-to". It's become another item on my to-do list. Getting a post uploaded is one more obstacle standing in between me and my free time. Before I begin to really resent it, I'm choosing to take a break, encouraging myself to breathe. I'm still recording her story (our story), and although the medium may change from year to year, capturing our life in words and pictures is something I'm pretty sure I'll always do. For the time being though, I've decided to step away from this space.

For those of you that visit here regularly, you can still get your weekly dose of Liza. I store all of my photos online at flickr.com. I upload many, many more photos there each week than I ever have here. There's a flickr badge in the sidebar. Click on my username (cchemm2002) at the bottom of the badge to visit my photostream.

Thank you for sharing this place with me.

A Kitchen Christmas

Inside her stocking she found...

a tube of airplanes,

three beaded bracelets & a turquoise headband,

a wind up Santa,

stickers, socks, and a whole bunch of smiles.

Christmas Eve

 We spent the morning of Christmas Eve at the park. Aunt Gibi chased Liza while Mimi and I sat on a bench and soaked up some sun.

 As we were leaving, what to our wondering eyes did appear...

 Santa and his three brothers roaring in on "motor bike-a-cycles", of course! Apparently Santa has to improvise when making his rounds in the desert ;-)

Liza's favorite part of this story is when one of the Santas came right up to her window, gave her a high-5 and her very first candy cane.

JOY, for sure.

Friday Letter #12 - Alone Time

 Dear Liza,

If I had one day to spend all by myself, I'd actually start it the night before. I would stay up late, knowing that I could sleep in the next morning letting my eyes open when they choose instead of at the sound of my alarm. I'd like to have a multigrain bagel from Panera, toasted with cream cheese, please, and a mocha in one of their big white mugs, but without the whipped cream. Perhaps I'd write for awhile, or check in on some of my favorite blogs, and I'd have a good book nearby too. Alone with no schedule... I'd need some choices, you know? After breakfast, I'd like to walk on the beach (my imagination is so generous to allow me Panera and an ocean here in the desert). It's the place I feel the most at peace, my heart joining the ocean in its steady rhythm. There'd be a chair waiting at the end of my walk. I'd soak up some sun and read right through the afternoon. Windblown and sleepy, I'd love a nap, the kind where you sleep and sleep until you wake up for no other reason except that you're all done napping.

As nice as this imaginary alone day is shaping up to be and as much as I crave unscheduled moments in my day,  I know I'd miss all the stuff that fills our days together too. I'd miss playing outside, books before nap time, sharing yogurt covered raisins for a snack, building lego towers, splashing in the bathtub, and your head on my shoulder before bed.

Wishing us both a year filled with just the right amount of alone time and togetherness!

Love, Mama 

This post was inspired by FridayLetters.com's question #165.

EnJOYing Her People

Uncle Allen

Mimi

Grandaddy

Aunt Gibi

Auntie Erin & Uncle Brian

2011...

Here we come!