Spring Shoot

Yesterday I photographed  the darling children of a dear friend. The pictures are wonderful and I am getting better all the time. I take my time, give myself some grace and have fun. I still have so much to learn in photographery, which is good because I don't ever want to be bored and my camera starts to collect dust, unused, unloved.

What I do know is that I like on location photography. Sure I don't have a studio (nor the money to put one together, or the space for that matter) but I am outdoor girl. I love the air, the light, the moment.

Being outside lends an opportunity to let the kids and adults find their groove too. Less confinement and more space to just be. Here, Grace was just plain being silly with her mom's sunglasses and never expected a photo opportunity as we had started to pack up, but then I had an idea and we had a little fun with her look.

I love capturing the look of pure love. Warms my heart.

These two are best buds. I hope forever, but I'll take for now (and the last 2 years). They are wild and they are funny, and they truly enjoy hanging together. But Lord save us from their diabolical minds!

In the end, it was a fun opportunity to experience spring in all her glory of color and vibrancy.







I have three boys. And now a puppy. Let's Pray.

I've been missing for a good reason. We adopted a puppy a month ago.

Originally, I had planned to adopt a young cat to add to our family. We have a kitty named Sweet-Pea we had adopted before marriage about 9 years ago, but she is a scaredy-cat and rarely is seen by the children. Our friendly kitty, Elsie passed away suddenly from kidney complications last year, so I figured it was time to add a pet to the family for the boys' sake.

And we ended up with a puppy. Go figure!

She was an abandoned pup from a litter of three, adopted from the local Humane Society. As soon as I saw her I knew she was the one. She had just the right amount of curiosity and submissive behavior. And after a month with us she has just wormed her way into the fabric of our lives with joy and chewing. Oh, did I mention the chewing yet? It is the most aggravating part of puppy hood for this pet-owner, but we are moving through, one tooth at a time.

Our pup's name is Hanna.

She fits smoothly into our pack.

 She is just growing and romping around all the time with the boys. Sometimes they love it. Sometimes they can do without. But she is learning and so are we.

Heck, I figured I already have three puppies, what's one more? And to be completely honest, my three year old, Gavin is far more destructive than the puppy.

She is already bonding with them. So much so that she even sat in Time Out with Joshua. How cute is that?

So my recommendation? Adopt a pet from your local shelter. These pups need good homes and are ever so happy to have one that will love them and guide them through life. And our reward? Undying faith and loyalty to their pack.

Welcome to the pack, Miss Hanna.

I am the mother of a child with ADD

My oldest son, Caleb has been diagnosed with ADD (attention deficit disorder) recently. I want to share our experience in hopes of helping other parents possibly experiencing a similar struggle with their own child/ren. This is Caleb's story:

We have been aware of Caleb's lack of focus, attention to detail, and growing frustration with schoolwork since his preschool teachers pointed it out to us in a conference when he was only 5 years old. We chalked it up to his gender and age and prayed he'd grow past this stage. Kindergarten came and the first day of school his teacher (rather rudely in my opinion) pulled us happy-to-see-our-baby-in-elementary-school selves aside and promptly pointed out that he could not focus on a simple task. We were shocked. This was kinder, on the first day... aren't all kids a bit distracted? Needless to say I did not take the news well. My husband dealt with the new reminder with a grace I wish I had.

I cried. I railed. I even cursed his teacher. Who is SHE to tell me about MY baby??

Within months she recommend taking him to the pediatrician  for the focus concern (teachers are not allowed to say ADD or anything like it as they will be seen as trying to diagnose). So we did. Our doctor was kind and sympathetic to our plight. He too pointed out his age and gender and recommended we wait and see. In the meantime we began efforts to curb his attention issues with behavioral therapy techniques and simple organizational skills (like using the minute hand on the clock to know how much time he had to finish a task.) His teacher worked with us from time to time, but often wasn't consistent and he would quickly fall behind in class. However, he was reading on grade level and writing (albeit reluctantly) fairly well with excellent penmanship.

In first grade, we heard the same observation (although this time more gently put) and a new troubling symptom began to crop up. Now that he was in full day school he had a longer day and a harder time adjusting to this new schedule. He also began the very troubling behavior of pooping in his pants in school. I was not too worried at first, thinking he had a tummy ache at school, etc. But when I realized he was pooping nearly every week I was alarmed. After all, this was my easiest potty-trained kid. Nary an accident since he was 2.5 years old and now he is pooping in his pants? He was mortified and I was frustrated.

Turns out his teacher (and it seems many do this) made a blanket statement that the children couldn't use the restroom during this or that time. I was shocked. These are 6 yr olds and you are restricting their bathroom habits in the first week of school? I had to quickly set her straight, much to her chagrin, as Caleb had began to retain for fear of disappointing the teacher. By then the damage was done, and no amount of her giving him permission ever helped him overcome this fear. We dealt with this issue all year, even after doctor's visits.

It turns out,after reading books on ADD I did find a small note by a doctor who observed boys with ADD do at times have bathroom regression. It has to do with their lack of self-monitoring abilities. Which made sense in Caleb's case.

Throughout first grade we fretted for him. We could see Caleb's sense of accomplishment in school dwindling as the year wore on. The writing and recalling info was hard for him and he often would just "check out." He would let his mind wander instead of asking for help, or more often distract himself by talking to his peers or messing with desk items. Doing anything but the task at hand. This was the year his teacher began to have to remind him to stay on task with a touch or a timer. We were always conferring to try new techniques to support him.

And all through this we talked about ADD but felt we weren't ready now (if ever) to medicate him. There was so much stigma. Would he become a Zombie? Would it stunt his growth? What would others think of him when they heard he was on meds? No, no we weren't ready.

Second grade began. The first day of school, after a whole summer free of accidents, he pooped his pants. His teacher had asked the students not use the restroom in the 10 minutes they were at Carpet Time. He immediately retained and fear set in. I talked to the teacher the 2nd day of school and informed her of his issues with this restriction. He was deeply embarrassed, but she had to know. She was very gracious... but the damage was done. He began accidents again on and off for months.And all the same issues with focus and tack completion came to the forefront with this teacher as well. We were like a broken record (or should I say CD these days?)

I talk a lot about school for Caleb's ADD, but it impacted his home life too. He often had to be reminded to complete a chore or a string of chores at home. A lot of frustration came from us to him in this regard. After being asked to do something several times without results tempers flared, emotions surfaced. To us, struggling to understand Caleb while raising him to be responsible was hard. Was it him? Was it our parenting? Why did he space out? Why did he cry when faced with the simplest of tasks? We had 4 years of "whys."  And it to be honest we had wonderful phases at home and school where he was getting the groove, and we all smoothly sailing along. But one wave of discontent put us all adrift that took days, even weeks to correct. Only to start the cycle all over again.

Well, at Caleb's second midterm and another "lack of focus" and "does not complete tasks" I knew I was ready. Justin was ready.  Caleb wa ready. He was melting down more often. His confidence shot and getting worse by the day. We feared he would hit a wall, sliding into the cracks, never to care or recover. It was heart-breaking to witness. And I know this feeling all too well, because as I child I lived it too. I struggled with school for YEARS. I was even held back in first grade for "lack of maturity." So I knew what he was feeling and I would do anything to take it away. This fear and self-loathing he was feeling was like an illness, a cancer and we had to cure him of it.

So in January, after a particularly emotional revelation from Caleb I promised him that mommy, daddy, and his teacher would find him a way to succeed. I admitted it may take awhile to figure something out, but we'd do our best, and he had to do his best too. We cried a lot that day.

I made an appointment immediately for an ADD evaluation with his pediatrician. In the week before that meeting I asked friends, family, anyone what their experience with ADD was and if they'd share it with me. I was impressed with the love, support and experience I was given.

Funny enough, one of my old high school buddies, that I hadn't conversed with since high school, had the best advice and support as his daughter had just been diagnosed with ADHD just 6 months before. And although I used to find his passion for the movie Pulp Fiction annoying in High School (as he knew it irked me to no end), he turned out to be a valuable resource on the subject from the viewpoint of a parent.

When the appointment came the three of us conferred with his pediatrician. In light of the years of documentation (at the doctor's office and at school) he determined Caleb does in fact have ADD, and the best way to treat ADD is with any of the meds that address this issue. Ritalin, Adderol, etc. Our doctor talked to Caleb candidly about what this drug is and how it works. We always left the decision to try it up to Caleb with the express knowledge that if he had any ill side effects we'd stop.  He was eager to try the meds.

I did research these drugs previously, thus our reluctance to start them in the first place. They are habit forming and a Class C drug, thus no refills. Only month to month prescription in order to curb other family members from stealing pills. So we are aware of these drugs.  By the time we got here, we felt the benefits of trying ADD meds outweighed the possible side-effects.

And when I asked the doctor if he was to take it even on non-school days he said yes; that ADD effects his social abilities just as much as his academic abilities. Then he turned to Caleb and said, "How about it Caleb? You take this medicine everyday and I'll bet it gets your mom and dad off your back." His eyes lit up and he vigorously nodded "YES!"

It was then I got teary, realizing how much this has affected his life.

Our appointment was on a Friday afternoon. Saturday morning we started him on 5mg of Adderol.  We were told it takes affect immediately and works 12 hours, then is out of the system. That day Caleb asked to help Justin fold t-shirts. ASKED to help! That would never happen. He did his homework with nary a peep. None. Shock.

A few side-effects though:

1. He once, on the first day had a tummy ache for about 15 minutes.
2. It works 12 hours, so if we give the pill to him at 9am, then he will be up until at least 9 pm. So we have to be sure to give it to him before 8am no matter what in order for him to be able to sleep that night.
3. Some days he does crash about an hour before the pill fully wears off. He is irritable, fussing, and even in tears.
4. He eats a lot. Often. One of the side-effects is lack of appetite and growth retention due to this fact. I do not think we have to worry about that with Caleb.
5.  Taking a pill is hard, but he bravely discovered he can swallow one whole in a bite full of applesauce.

Today I finally revealed his Adderol use for the last two weeks to his teacher. Caleb's doc had asked us not to tell her for 2 weeks just to see if she could tell a difference. Like a Blind Study. When I told her she smiled and told me she was wondering because he was doing so well. Let me repeat that, MY BOY WAS DOING WELL. {tears just to think about this}

He is completing all his work.
She described him as "Present" and "connected."
He was asking for help when he needed clarity.
He talks now in class, sharing his knowledge with gusto and glee.
She hasn't had to put her hand on him to remind him of his task in more than a week.

She did tell me he still has trouble keeping up the pace with his writing, and problem solving. But now with the Adderol perhaps we can give him the skills he needs to succeed, as he is more receptive to learning and retaining a new skill. We are working on this together, the four of us.

Caleb is still the same quirky, quiet, thoughtful little boy. He is just more open, more here, rather than there. I feel so much closer to him. And even though he is still the emotionally reserved boy he has always as been, I can tell he is happy. He is gaining confidence. And this is what is so important to us for him. To feel love for himself, and in his abilities.

We are still just beginning this journey. But I will say I am very pleased with the outcome thus far. A huge weight has been lifted. I thank the Good Lord for carrying us through, for guiding us, and letting us find our way. He continues to carry us and I am grateful for that.

I do it all for you, sweetheart.



My First Photo Shoot

My big sister is pretty amazing. She just plain is. I am lucky to call her sister, and I love her for all her quirkiness and crazy big dreams. Well, some of her dreams are coming into fruition and I offered to use my growing photog skills to help her along her path. So she flew me out to San Diego this past weekend and thus began my whirlwind weekend of shutter-happy me.

Saturday morning my sister, CEO of You! Got Challenged! and her president, Aly set up a beach Crossfit session with some eager volunteers to participate in a photography (me) and videography (another young guy, Matt) session to be used in their business venture, You! Got Challenged. The whole family came along and we assembled on Moonlight Beach in Encinitas, CA for the next 2 hours of workouts, encouragement, and lots of gorgeous San Diego weather.

Simulated box jumps. That is my sister, Chrisanna Northrup on the far right.

The lovely woman in the green tank is Glory. She totally blew me away. Aly, in the pink, motioned me to come over to photograph "this." And before I could ask what I needed to prep for I heard Aly say to Glory, "are you ready?" And before I knew it Glory was lifting Aly above her head, then squatting! I was barely able to take pictures in my excitement. It was nuts!

It was a great group of women, along with my sister and her family: her husband Mark, and their three kids even participated. It will be exciting for me as a budding photographer to see how my pictures get used to promote and teach fitness through You! Got Challenged! Stay tuned!

The Flatirons' Calling

Well hello 2011!
This morning, I dropped off my middle son to preschool, having already hustled my oldest to school with his friends, when a tiny mental clock began to countdown in my head. I had exactly 2 and half hours to complete my errands before preschool ended, therefore I needed to stay on target and on task. Yet, as soon as I slipped into traffic on Highway 36 I quickly realized I was going to have to just sit back and enjoy a game of "I spy" with my 2 yr old, Gavin as we inched our way toward Boulder (where a camera shop awaited for my perusal of a diffuser for my newly acquired Speedlight ,off-camera flash). After crawling along the 36 for nearly 30 minutes in traffic (does everybody work in Boulder but live elsewhere??), I realized I had to stop at Chautauqua to photograph the Flatirons. They were calling to me and I couldn't turn away.

Taken Feb. 9, 2011, Boulder Colorado

When I lived in Boulder, while I attended CU (the University of Colorado, Boulder) I had heard an old legend of a Native American, Chief Niwot placing a curse on Boulder, saying once you have witnessed the glory of the Flatirons you will never want to leave and always long to come back. I like to think of it as more of a blessing than a curse. And in my case a truth. I left Boulder in January 2001 to live in San Diego with my love, never once believing we'd come back. And although we do not live in Boulder, we are close enough that I can answer the call to the Flatirons whenever the mood strikes me.

And today it certainly did. But who can resist such beauty? Such peaceful steadfastness? Well, today I share it with you.

And my errands? I got them done. In case you were worried. ;)

Christmas Eve Anticipation

Christmas Eve can provide some challenges to a family with young kids. The anticipation of Christmas Day and all its glorious wonders (celebrating the birth of our Savior, a visit from Santa, toys, and good food) tend to override all reason. With unbridled energy they wiggle like young pups when a stranger approaches.

Christmas Eve morning we picked up a family friend at the airport, who planned to spend a few days with us. Walter is a welcome distraction for little kiddos anxious for Santa's arrival.

With a little sadness and anticipation, we also said goodbye to our Elf on the Shelf, "Elfie."

He was good to us. I'll miss the boys running to discover his latest location in the house each morning (stumbling over each other to be the FIRST to discover him). I'll miss Justin's expression as he pulled backed the covers in bed, ready for its warmth and my snuggle, only to be asked, "Did you move the Elf?" I'll miss his "Son of a biscuit!" exclamation as he swaggered out the door to scout out a new and unusual perch for Elfie.

We look forward to your visit again next year, Elfie!

The boys played a rousing Lego racer game before we went to the local movie theater, to watch Disney's Tangled. Which we all found very entertaining and delightful for the whole family.

And while our youngest took a much needed nap after the movie, Caleb and Joshua busted out the wrapping paper rolls for a little swashbuckling action.

As night fell, and our tummies were full of delicious Chicken Tortilla soup, the boys checked, and rechecked Santa's flight path on NORAD.

And when they couldn't hold off bedtime any longer, they put out Santa's cookies, along with carrots and "deer snacks" for the Big Guy's arrival later that night. With one last "good-bye" to Elfie, the house was quiet (except for the 5 times I had to re tuck the youngest two into their beds). 



Merry Christmas!!!

Strep Throat

This week as been a harrowing one for the family. It took nearly a week but we figured out that strep was causing all the sickies in the family. First Justin, then that same day Caleb and Joshua were tested positive. I tested negative but given an antibiotic prescription in case my symptoms got worse. By Friday my throat was so sore I could barely swallow my own spit. So I started my antibiotic and so glad I did. I am still not 100% but at least I can swallow with less pain now. Having Step throat is no fun, folks!

I'd like to take a moment of silence to honor Alexander Flemming for his discovery of penicillin, for which my throat and that of my whole family is forever grateful for.

Peace and stay healthy!

A Sticky Situation

Tonight is a big night for my men. It is the coveted Rain Gutter Regatta for the Cub Scouts. Its significance only shadowed slightly by the Race Car Derby at the end of the scout season. So it was left to me to get Justin's new Cub Scout Assistant Den Leader Shirt properly badged and ready for the big event.

In the past I dragged out my historic sewing machine (no really, it was passed down to Justin and I from his grandmother (God rest her soul) and it is so old and beautiful that it only has 2 numbers for the model and takes a forklift to get from the closet to the dinning table) to sew on Caleb's badges. This time, at the suggestion of a fellow scout mom (thank you, Rachel!) I decided to splurge and buy the "Magic Badge." And boy, was it magic.

After making a repeated run to our main Boy Scout store I finally got the supplies I needed (see above picture). And if you have never had the opportunity to be inside a Boy Scout store, you are missing out. The badges alone are worth pawing through and shivering in delight at the variety and potential! Add in knives and woodworking material, maps and compasses, and your world will be complete. It is a young survivalist wonderland.

And without further adieu I pulled out the instructions in attempt to finish before dinner and my boys needed to leave.

I was dismayed to see that the shirt needed to be washed and ironed before the badge transfer. Yikes, should have read these days before. Oh well, one must do what one must do. So I skipped the washing and went ahead to ironing the wrinkles out. I pulled out the included instructions and the "Official Placement of Insignia" sheet before I proceeded. I am notorious for misreading or gleaning instructions and totally botching up a project, so I was determined to read twice and place once. After all, this was Justin's shirt and he'd be representing my work. No pressure, right?



1. First you remove the outer top paper for the patch that fits the badge you are working on. There is even extra space for tracing and cutting out patches for badges not listed on the paper. Press the badge firmly into the sticky backing. I used the handle of my scissors to really rub it in.
2. Next, as you lift the badge you will see the sticky stuff coming up with it. If you do not, then stick you finger nail into the sticky goo to loosen it as you pull the badge. This will usually cause a chain-reaction and it all come up in a perfect shape to the badge. If it isn't, press the badge back into the patch firmly and try again. Also, try flipping the paper over and rubbing the backing into the badge this way.
3. Last as you pick up the badge you will see bits sticking out around the edges. Just tuck these into the back and no one is the wiser!
4. Then press the now sticky badge into the proper placement. Once you are sure you have it in the right place use a handle or hard, smooth object to press into the clothing (I used the handle of my scissors).
5. The instructions recommend tossing the shirt into the dryer for 10 minutes to set the badges and goo together.

It took me a much shorter time to put all these badges on and I didn't need the Hulk to lift my sewing machine for me. It was a good day for this scouting mom.



$5 in Library Fines and a Few Steps from Pure Chaos.

10am and my boys are watching PBS Kids, sick and periodically fighting over blankets and pillows. Caleb is home from school with a fever and general illness, Joshua has a cough, pink eye, and generally surliness (that rash is from his constant licking and rubbing his face. Like a cat. Aquifer barely keeps the whole mess at bay as you can tell). Gavin, well he is not sick and causing all kinds of havoc.

Since I couldn't make it to the library today, as I had hoped, I tried to renew my books online and discovered about $5 in fines. I now have to decide if I want to attempt to pack up the my sick children just to make a library drop in order to avoid MORE fines on my People magazines and a few kid DVDs or scrap it and hope Justin gets home in time for me to make the run, alone, before the library closes. The problem with that, is I tend to linger and stay in the library until it does close. Wait, maybe this isn't a problem at all? I wish I was more organized to not have these daily struggles.

Which brings me to a BIG task looming over my stay-at-home head... Over the weekend I got a bee in my bonnet over rearranging the furniture in our Front Room, which is our computer/library area. And I still have stacks of books and games awaiting their proper home on a shelf. Calling my name, "Put me AwaYYYYY."   The loads of folded and unfolded laundry do this to me too. I think there is a conspiracy going on in my house. 

And the textbooks alone are an entity of their own. Just look at the Teaching textbooks and the Engineer books just longing to get cozy, mingle, and run away together. I have to keep them separated or else we may have the Fractals Growth Phenomena getting a little too fresh with my Meeting the Standards and before you know it mutiny and destruction.  I am talking End of the World stuff here.

Thus is my life every day. We are just a few steps from pure chaos and absolute bliss.

Now please excuse me while I help Gavin put on his Spiderman costume for the 5th day in a row.

Stray

As I was going over our family calendar Justin paused as he passed behind me, reached into his wallet and with a florish proclaimed, "I've always wanted to be able to do this."

It took all year, but we finally got to have a few strays....

A few of my Favorite Things...

These are a few of my favorite things...

A quiet reading nook

The Angel on the top of our Tree

The daddy of my babies (and the love my life) snuggling our youngest in a warm, sleepy embrace

Sleepy Car rides, Forts made out of pillows, and Tiny Feet with cuffed jeans



Little boys who become Spiderman

Swinging high with the Greatest of Ease

These are a few of my favorite things.

Circle of Digital Friends

First, let me give you some background, and I promise I have a point, just stick with me:

Five years ago I experienced a miscarriage. My first. I am not positive, but I do believe it wasn't my only based on another strange menstrual cycle, but this particular miscarriage was confirmed and a bit late in the game. Caleb was close to 2 years old and Justin and I had decided to try to conceive another baby since I had finished my Teacher Certification. We got preggers fairly easily (as it seems we do, but that is for another posting on the blessings of excellent birth control), but I just knew the pregnancy wasn't "right." I felt pregnant, and all the normal stuff, but I just "knew." I had even jokingly said so to Justin before our first appointment (joking only in a way that I was actually trying to be wrong and protect my heart.).

My appointment was set for about 9 and half weeks into my cycle. So we for sure should have seen a developing baby. Within moments of an ultrasound it was obvious we were no longer pregnant with a viable embryo, a baby. It was a bit surreal as I knew this was the case, and in a way I felt prepared. I had had friends share their own recent miscarriages so I knew it was common for child-bearing woman to have a miscarriage, sometimes several throughout their childbearing years.

I was sent home with pamphlets on miscarriage support and scheduled for a D&C. It seems my body loves to be pregnant, and thus does not like to not be pregnant as it was obvious the baby had not developed for several weeks.  My body still trudged on in pregnant mode. All my deliveries were similar in that I needed a push to get my body to give up its precious cargo.

So it came as a shock to me, and perhaps Justin, how hard the whole experience hit me while getting prepped for my D&C. Not only had a lost a baby that we very much wanted, but that I was about to go through a procedure to erase the whole matter from my body. In the exact same way as an abortion. The experience was so huge and confusing and overwhelming being alone (as Justin was told to wait in a waiting room) with a semi-sympathetic nurse and an IV. Waiting. Missing. Wondering, "what-if?" I actually wanted to run out of there and just see if they were wrong. Maybe my baby was just under-developed. maybe, maybe, maybe...

I felt very young, very inexperienced, and very out-of-control. There is nothing like losing a pregnancy to make you realize how out-of-control your life really is.

By the time I was prepped and on the table being administered drugs for my "Twilight Sleep" I was sobbing. To this day I get teary remembering that moment. I never got a chance to even know the little person, and they are already gone. The doctor doing the procedure was amazingly empathic and kind. He held my hand and gazed into my eyes as he gave me words of comfort. I cannot recall those words, as I was rapidly slipping into a dream world, but I remember apologizing for my sobbing and then blackness.

(Later, I was able to recall his name and actually switched to his care for my third pregnancy (Joshua) and was so comfortable with him that I used the word "clitoris" during my birth. But I screamed it, and perhaps, if you are lucky, I will share that story with you someday.)

Here he is, my kindly savior, on more than one occasion.



After the D&C I was left a bit adrift. Logically I knew I hadn't done anything wrong, but I felt... well a bit guilty. After all, I had joked about there "not being a baby" and it all being imaginary and then to be told in fact there wasn't a baby made me a bit paranoid. Was it self-fulfilling prophecy? Well, it kinda left me confused. Lonely. So what does one do when you are lonely and confused? You "Google" whatever it is that is making you sad and lonely. To which we all know happens millions a times a minute on the Internet. (Hello, Porn industry!) But in this case I found, in a roundabout way, a circle of women with a similar story to mine. A pregnancy lost. Some confusion. And the need to move forward.

And here's where I get to the point ( As I sure many of you are praising the Lord for, or whomever you praise: Buddha, Allah, your kid for not messing their pants today...):

I met some wonderful ladies on a "Mommy Board" and we somehow have stuck together. We have journeyed together through several message boards that have come and gone, and endured several high-drama moments that only women with lack of sleep, too many child-rearing books, and a poochy tummy can create.

It is an amazing gift, the Internet, to bring together people from across the country, even the world to share in experiences universal to all: Motherhood. We may not always agree on how we raise our children, but we share in this path, this need to nurture, to develop, to gain.... ourselves. And we do that through the adventures of being a woman first, and mothers second.

I have been there to grieve their lost babies, support their triumphant positive pregnancy test (both planned and surprised). I have witnessed the miracle of a mother's fight to save her child at any cost, only to carry them through with words of comfort and sorrow when their child passes away. I have walked in their babies' honor, raising over $500 for the March of Dimes. I have seen the miracle of babies born to women yearning for the opportunity to be a mother and when blessed with that chance after years of painful infertility seen them become some of the most amazing mothers.

I have shared my own pains of motherhood, my own frustrations, and my successes. I have three of them, you know.

So it is a very surreal and exciting moment to get to actually meet one of these women face-to face. Before, there is that distinction of a "virtual friend" versus a "reality friend," but when you get the opportunity to meet in person that all disappears. I got that opportunity in May 2009 when I was to meet not one, not two, but THREE of these women at the Denver Zoo.

Here's where I may need to draw you a Vin Diagram, so pay attention, class!
I knew Dana originally, and Dana has a sister named Melissa who lived in Denver. Dana also knew Bree from the mommy board who lived in Denver. She then suggested we all meet at the Denver Zoo.

Thus, in May, 2009 Dana and her family, Bree and her daughter and I met up at the Denver Zoo. At the last day Melissa was unable to make it to the zoo in time.

All the kids got along wonderfully together. Caleb (who still occasionally asks for a little sister and I have to run away in fear at the very thought of another pregnancy) adored Kaylie, so much so, that he even shared his ice cream with her! {swoon}

Bree (left), Dana Middle, Me (right) and our many small children.

 And  just last week, I finally got to meet with Melissa, Dana's sister as she recently moved up to my neck of the woods.  We had a great time letting the kids run around at the local mall.

After such meetings, when I sit back and think over the years of how I have come to know my online friends, that I marvel at today's technology which has allowed strangers, living in completely different cities, states, even countries, to come together to be friends. We support each other, laugh together at life's antics, and heal each other when we are lost and lonely. Many times sharing our deepest secrets and fears because we have no judgements, no expectations. Only support. Only experience and wisdom. And sometimes just plain silliness.

I am so intertwined with their lives from afar I need my "Friendship Genealogy Map" to explain who is who to my husband (who often just nods and drools in response to my "mommy board stories"). But I love the connection. One day we will be grandmas together. Perhaps even retired together. Then, it will be the sweetest song of friendship, eternal. On the Internet.

Which brings to mind the lyrics from one of my favorite flicks, Napoleon Dynamite

We met in a chat room
Now our love can fully bloom
Sure, the World Wide Web is great
But you, you make me 'salvivate'

Yes, I love technology
But not as much as you, you see
But I still love technology
Always and forever

Except for the weird drooling and the overly done affections of love, I think this pretty much sums it up for me.